£vbrarj>  of  €he  Cheolojvcal  ^mimxy 

PRINCETON  •  NEW  JERSEY 


From  the  LiJrrry  of        ^.  ^ , 


DS  413    .M38  1902 

Mason,  Caroline  Atwater, 

1853-1939 . 
Lux  Christi 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arcliive 
in  2015 


littps://arcliive.org/details/iuxclnristioutlinOOmaso_0 


LUX  CHRISTI 


United  Study  of  Missions  Series. 

1.  VIA  CHRISTI.   An  Introduction. 

LOUISE  MANNING  HODGKINS. 

2.  LUX  CHRISTI.    A  Study  of  India. 

CAROLINE  ATWATER  MASON 

Other  volumes  in  preparation. 
Jit 

THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


LUX  CHRISTI 

AN  OUTLINE  STUDY  OF  INDIA 

CAROLINE  ATWATER  MA.SON 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

LONDON:  MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Ltd. 
1902 

All  rights  retemtd 


COPYRIRHT,  1902, 

By  the  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 
Set  lip  and  electrotyped  August,  1902. 

PUBLISHED  FOR  THE  CENTRAL  COMMITTEE 
ON  THE  UNITED  STUDY  OF  MISSIONS. 


J.  8.  Cushini!  .t  Co.     lU  rwick  &  Smith 
Norwood  Mass.  U.S.A. 


STATEMENT 


OF  THE  CENTEAL  COMMITTEE  ON  THE 
UNITED  STUDY  OF  MISSIONS 

It  is  well  known  to  many  friends  of  missions  that  one 
of  the  results  of  the  Ecumenical  Conference  of  Foreign 
Missions  in  1900  was  a  movement  for  a  system  of  united 
study  among  all  the  women's  foreign  missionary  societies 
in  the  world. 

During  the  year  1902  the  plan  has  been  tried  and 
proved  most  successful.  The  first  course  in  the  regular 
series  was  introductory  and  historical,  concerning  the 
progress  of  missions  from  apostolic  times  to  the  close  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  and  was  entitled  "  An  Intro- 
duction to  the  Study  of  Missions."  The  general  idea 
and  the  special  topics  have  been  taken  up  with  great 
and  unexpected  enthusiasm  in  nearly  all  of  the  forty 
women's  foreign  missionary  societies  in  the  United  States 
and  in  Canada,  and  in  some  societies  in  Great  Britain. 
The  text-book  for  the  course,  "  Via  Christi,"  has  reached 
a  sale  of  thirty-five  thousand  copies,  and  testimony  as  (o 
the  value  and  interest  of  the  course  has  been  almost 
universal. 

The  Central  Committee  now  present  as  the  second 
course  in  the  series,  for  190.3,  "A  Study  of  India,"  for 
which  "  Lux  Christi  "  is  the  text-book.    India  is  a  fasci- 

V 


vi         STATEMENT  OF  THE  COMMITTEE 


nating  country  to  study,  and  encouraged  by  past  success 
this  second  outline  and  text-book  are  sent  out  with  great 
confidence  in  their  cordial  reception. 

Miss  A.  B.  CHILD,  Chairman, 

704  Congregational  Home,  Boston,  Mass. 

Miss  CLEMENTINA  BUTLER, 

Secretary  and  Treasurer, 
Newton  Centre,  Mass. 

Mrs.  J.  T.  GRACEY, 

177  Pearl  Street,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

Miss  ELLEN  C.  PARSONS, 
Presbyterian  Building, 

156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 

Mrs.  N.  M.  WATERBURY, 
Tremont  Temple,  Boston,  Mass. 


PREFACE 


The  foundation  of  the  United  Study  of 
Missions  was  laid  by  Miss  Hodgkins  in  "Via 
Christi."  It  is  fitting  tliat  the  next  subject 
of  study  should  be  India,  for  two  reasons : 
India  was  the  first  field  of  Anglo-Saxon  Prot- 
estant Missions,  and  by  reason  of  the  seclusion 
and  oppression  of  its  women,  it  is  preeminently 
woman's  foreign  missionary  field.  It  can  be 
said  without  hesitation  that  no  portion  of  the 
heathen  world  can  offer  us  a  more  fruitful  sub- 
ject for  study  and  investigation,  whether  we 
regard  the  kinship  of  the  great  Aryan  race,  the 
romance  and  adventure  of  early  missionary  his- 
tory, or  whether  we  consider  the  land  itself, 
with  its  wealth  of  ancient  literature,  profound 
j)hilosophy,  and  wonderful  architecture ;  with 
its  story  of  dramatic  conquest  and  its  haunting 
sense  of  mystery. 

The  present  position  of  India  as  a  dependency 
of  our  Anglo-Saxon  kinsmen  brings  it  pecul- 
iarly within  the  range  of  our  interests;  its 
vii 


viii 


FBEFACE 


prominence  in  the  fiction  of  the  day  brings  it 
vividly  before  our  imaginations.  May  God 
grant  that  a  year  of  earnest  study  shall  lay  the 
burden  of  its  Christless  millions  heavily  upon 
our  hearts. 

In  "Lux  Christi"  the  author  seeks  to  furnish 
simply  a  starting-point  from  which  students 
may  work  out  in  all  directions  into  the  rich 
store  of  literature  accessible.  The  little  book 
is  an  outline,  not  a  picture ;  a  condensed  sum- 
mary, not  a  history  of  India,  religious,  political, 
or  social.  Neither  is  it  a  study  of  Christian 
missions  in  India  in  detail.  To  enter  in  any 
real  sense  upon  that  undertaking  would  require 
a  series  of  volumes,  and  but  a  portion  of  two 
chapters  was  available.  The  attempt  has  been 
made  to  give  the  master  motives,  major  powers, 
and  great  historical  workers  tlieir  fitting  place  ; 
only  a  few  words,  however,  could  be  allowed  to 
each,  and  many  worthy  names  have  been  of 
necessity  omitted  altogether.  Technical  terms 
liave  been  avoided  and  accents  on  Indian  words 
have  been  omitted  lest  their  use  should  add  to 
the  unfamiliar  and  difficult  aspect  of  the  pages. 

The  author's  thanks  are  especially  due  to 
Miss  Child,  Mrs.  Gracey,  and  Mrs.  Waterbury 
of  the  Central  Committee  for  invaluable  aid  in 


PREFACE 


ix 


the  preparation  of  this  study,  and  also  to  many 
other  friends  who  have  helped  with  timely  sug- 
gestions ;  in  particular  Dr.  J.  T.  Gracey  and 
Dr.  T.  S.  Barbour.  During  the  progress  of 
this  work  numbers  of  reports,  tracts,  periodi- 
cals, and  books,  as  well  as  letters,  have  been 
received  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  from 
Canada,  and  also  from  England,  Scotland,  and 
Sweden.  All  have  concerned  India  and  all 
have  been  of  interest  and  value.  It  has  been 
impossible  to  acknowledge  these  favors  indi- 
vidually, or  to  incorporate  in  "  Lux  Christi  "  a 
fractional  part  of  their  important  information. 
May  this  means  be  taken  for  cordial  thanks  for 
these  welcome  aids.  They  have  served  a  pur- 
pose, perhaps,  above  and  beyond  what  was  hoped 
for  by  those  who  sent  them,  for  they  have  fur- 
nished a  revelation  of  the  magnitude  of  tlie 
work  of  God  in  India,  and  of  the  devotion  of 
workers  of  every  name.  They  have  further- 
more offered  convincing  evidence  of  the  insig- 
nificance of  the  divisive  differences  between 
Christians,  of  the  greatness  of  the  underlying 
unity.  Too  long  have  we  confined  ourselves 
to  tlie  detailed  study  of  our  own  limited  fields, 
missing  the  sweep  and  the  thrill  which  come 
with  the  wider  knowledge  of  the  work  of  the 


X 


PREFACE 


Church  Universal.  Nothing,  in  its  way,  could 
be  more  broadening  and  illuminating,  or  more 
full  of  encouragement  than  a  systematic  study 
of  the  work  in  India  of  all  Christian  missions. 
To  this  end  the  author  would  request  that  some 
effective  method  of  exchange  of  periodical  and 
other  denominational  literature  appropriate  to 
the  general  theme  shall  be  devised,  in  order 
that  each  may  know  all,  and  that  we  may  see 
henceforth  not  Methodist  India,  or  Presbyte- 
rian, or  Baptist,  but  Christ's  India. 

C.  A.  M. 

Batavia,  N.Y., 
July  6,  liX)2. 


CONTENTS 

PAOB 

Preface    v 

I 

Table  showing  Development  of  Hindu  Religions  2 

THE  DIM  CENTURIES   3 

The  Sacred  Literature  of  the  Hindus        .       .  2(5 

II 

Dates  for  India's  Political  History     ...  38 

INDIA'S  INVADERS   39 

Map  of  India  facimj  85 

III 

Religious  Census,  1891   85 

Tables  of  Languages       ......  86 

THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE  ....  87 

IV 

Important  Dates  in  the   History  of  Christian 

Missions  in  India        .       .       .       .       .  1.32 

THE  INVASION  OF  LOVK   133 

xi 


xii 


CONTENTS 


V 

PAOH 

Important  Dates  in  the  History  of  Work  for 


THE  WOiMEN  OF  InDIA   184 

A  CENTURY  OF  WORK  FOR  WOMEN      .       .  185 

VI 

General  Statistics  of  India   231 

FORCES    OF    DARKNESS    AND    FORCES  OF 

LIGHT   233 

APPENDIX 

List  of  Twenty  Books   269 

List  of  Twenty  Periodicals   270 

Words  often  met  with  in  Books  on  India    .       .  271 

Aids  to  Pronunciation     ......  273 

Table  of  Christians  in  India,  1901       .       .       .  274 

INDEX   276 


//>d/a  /ies  — 
f  main/y  deftveen para/-\ 
J  /e/s  /Oand40',t/ie  Fro-J 
(^-■^p/c  of  Cancer  6/'- 
^sec(/ng  //.  /( /s  cross 

systems ;  t/ie  ///ma/ayas,  \ 
fA'e  A/g/iesf  //t  f/ie  tyor/a.and 
t/ie  V/nc/nyas.  M/.  fveresf,  conse crate J^s^ 

^,  tf.  /s  t//e  /}/£hesf pea/f  of  Me  ///ma* 


/Coromande/)  coasts  6y  moi/nta/n  ranges  Anotv/?  as  GAats  (stepsJS 
r/ie  cA/ef  r/vers  of  ///nc/usfan  are  f/ie  /ndus,  >/umna,ana  tjan- 1 
\geS)  of  £ur/na,  t/ie  Bra/tmaputra  and  /rratraddyi  of  f/ieDec- 
ciin,  t/ie  Godaver/  and  /(r/sAna.  T/ie  /Varbada  /s  sometimes 
counted  t/te  d/y/d/ng  //ne  between  JVort/i  and  Soi/fh  /ndia  . 

The  extreme  fengt/t  and  iread/h  are  e^ua/,  /900  m//es)f 
he arctif^ /s as  hir^e  as  that  of  £urope  save  /fuss/^.P<^ 
\288,(tq}p,000  C/fmate  trop/ca/  /n genera/.  Cu/t/v^ 
yat/o/i  of  crops  and  /rr/gat/on  of  /anc 
yyho//y  c/epe/ident on  monsoon  tyh/ch^ 
hr/n^s  ra/ny  season  f/t>m  du/y  fo^'^'^ 
ft  Sepfe/nher.  fauna  anc/  f/ora 
tAose  of  60 th  temperate  and 
trop/c  zones.  Ch/ef products^/ 
r/ce  and  other  gra/ns, 
su^ar,  cotton,  op/um, 
/nd/^o,  sp/ccs,  Ca/y 
cutta  the  Capita/.  \ 
''  ftbnders  of  ar- 
c/dtecture.-  fajMa\ 
,ha/  etc.  at/lfjnj  ana 
fte/hi)  dyes  off/ , 
'orai ^reatTeml 
o/es  ofCudda\ 
/ore,  /an/ore^ 
/nSoi/th^ 
'nd/a/ 


TABLE  I 


Development  of  Hindu  Religions 
1500  B.C.-1900  A.D. 

First  Period.  —  Vedism,  1500  b.c.  to  900  B.C. 

Age  of  the  Vedas.  Chief  gods,  Varuna,  Agni,  Surya, 
Indra,  Ushas,  Yama,  Rudras,  Soma.  All  natural  forces. 
Worship  chiefly  chanting  and  thank-offerings  of  rice, 
soma,  and  clarified  butter.  Non-idolatrous.  Mention 
made  of  thirty-three  gods  in  the  Vedas.  Woman  held  in 
high  esteem. 

Second  Period.  —  Brahmanism,  900  b.c.  to  1200  a.d. 

Rise  of  the  power  of  the  priesthood,  of  the  systems  of 
animal  sacrifice,  and  of  caste.  The  Brahmanas,  Code  of 
Manu,  Upanishads,  and  Sutras,  the  Great  Epics,  and  the 
Puranas  produced. 

Third  Period.  —  Buddhism,  543  B.C.  to  900  a.d. 

Growth  so  great  that  in  250  b.c  Buddhism  was  de- 
clared the  state  religion  of  India.  During  the  ninth 
century  a.d.  it  was  driven  out  of  the  peninsula  by  a  Brah- 
manical  uprising.  Survives  chiefly  in  Ceylon  and  Burma. 
Jainism  is  a  survival  of  Buddliism. 

Fourth  Period.  —  IModern  Hinduism,  or  popular 
Mythological  Brahmanism.  This  phase  had  its  rise 
about  400  B.C.,  coincident  with  rise  of  Buddhism,  and 
lias  continued  down  to  the  present. 

Idolatrous  worship  of  the  Triad,  —  Brahma,  Vishnu, 
and  Siva,  their  wives,  and  of  Krishna,  Rama,  Kali,  etc. 
Thirty-three  millions  of  deities.  Dogmas  of  transmigra- 
tion, caste,  and  Brahman  dominance  fixed  and  universal. 
Worship  of  demons,  spirits,  serpents,  the  cow,  the  ox, 
and  the  bull,  the  fish,  tortoise,  and  bear  (the  last  three 
as  incarnations  of  Vishnu),  of  plants,  of  the  symbols  of 
generative  energy  (Linga  and  Yoni).  Fetish  worship. 
Degradation  and  seclusion  of  women. 


LUX  CHEISTI 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  DIM  CENTURIES 

Here  sits  he  shaping  wings  to  fly ; 
His  heart  forebodes  a  mystery ; 
He  names  the  name  Eternity. 

Heaven  opens  inward,  chasms  yawn, 
Vast  images  in  glimmering  dawn, 
Half  shown,  are  broken  and  withdrawn. 

—  Tknnyson. 

In  the  period  during  which  the  Hebrew 
people,  led  by  Moses  out  of  Egyptian  bond- 
age, were  wandering  on  their  devious  course 
northward,  or  were  entering  their  Promised 
Land  by  the  fords  of  the  Jordan,  anotlier 
great  exodus  was  taking  place,  nearly  two 
thousand  miles  to  the  east. 

Where  the  Caucasus  and  tlie  Himalaya  ranges 
meet,  and  the  Oxus  and  the  Indus  have  their 
sources,  lies  a  vast  and  lofty  ridge  known  as 
"the  roof  of  the  world."  Here  dwelt  a  people 
of  the  great  Aryan  race,  i)roud,  free,  and  con- 
scious of  their  strength,  wlio  found  their  land 
too  narrow  for  their  vigorous  growth. 

3 


4 


LUX  CHRISTI 


The  Indo-Aryans 

Led  by  their  seers  (Rishis),  chanting  the 
earliest  hymns  of  the  Vedas,  this  mighty  con- 
quering horde  poured  southeastward  through 
the  rugged  passes  of  the  Caucasus  and  the 
Himala)'^as  and  entered  their  Holy  Land,  the 
Land  of  the  Five  Rivers  (now  known  as 
the  Punjab).  Delighted  with  the  Avealth  of 
rivers,  the  newcomers  named  their  new  land 
India,  for  the  river  Indus,  or  Sindhu. 

Great  Asia  wears  as  a  belt  around  her  body, 
from  the  Red  Sea  to  the  Amoor  River,  a  zone 
of  desert  plateau,  studded  here  and  there  along 
its  lower  line  by  mountain  ranges.  Hanging 
like  three  trophies  from  this  belt  are  three 
great  peninsulas.  Of  these  three,  the  central 
and  greatest  is  the  mighty  pentlant  of  India, 
"great,  gray,  formless  India." 

Between  the  Himalayas  and  the  Vindhya 
mountains  stretches  the  great  central  plain  of 
Hindustan.  The  tribes  which  now  pushed 
their  way  through  this  plain  eastward  toward 
the  Jumna  and  the  Ganges  were  not  a  nation 
of  newly  emancipated  serfs,  like  the  Hebrews, 
neither  were  they,  like  them,  of  Semitic  origin 
(descendants  of  Shem,  first-named  son  of  Noah). 
Tliey  belonged  to  the  splendid  Aryan  stock, 
from  which  the  Brahman  and  the  Englishman 
alike  descend.  From  one  and  the  same  root 
spring  the  Celts,  the  Goths,  the  Slavs,  the  Per- 


THE  DIM  CENTURIES 


5 


sians,  and  the  Hindus,  all  tracing  their  common 
origin  to  Japheth.  The  name  "Aryan  "  means 
"noble";  the  word  " Sanskrit,"  descriptive  of 
the  stately  language  of  the  Indo-Aryans,  signi- 
fies "polished."  ^  They  were  a  highly  intellectual 
people,  subtle  and  profound,  poetic  and  reli- 
gious in  their  instincts,  skilled  in  logic,  and, 
even  in  those  shadowy  ages,  already  achieving 
some  skill  in  astronomical  and  other  science.  In 
person  they  were  handsome,  tall,  fair,  fine-feat- 
ured, full-bearded.  Valiant  in  war,  full  of  energy 
and  force,  these  primitive  invaders  of  India  are 
shown  by  the  Vedas  to  have  had  high  concep- 
tions of  family  and  domestic  life ;  marriage  was 
sacred  among  them  and  women  held  a  high  posi- 
tion. "  Husband  and  wife  were  both  rulers  of 
the  house  and  drew  near  to  the  gods  together 
in  prayer." 

Aborigines  of  India 
Like  the  Hebrews  on  their  entrance  into 
Canaan,  the  Indo-Aryans,  on  their  victorious 
march,  found  it  necessary  to  conquer  the  abo- 
rigines, tlie  native  dwellers  in  the  land.  These 
non-Aryan  races  of  India  were  of  a  distin(;tly 
lower  type  than  their  conquerors,  dark-skinned, 
flat-nosed,  squat  in  figui-e.  Tliey  are  described 
in  the  Vedas  scornfully  as  "  distui  bers  of  sac- 
rifices," "  raw-caters,"  etc.  They  designated 
them  the  "  Dasyus,"  or  enemies,  and  the 
"  Dasas,"  or  slaves.  These  lower  tribes  be- 
1  Tlie  Sanskrit  is  no  loiij^cr  a  spokcjn  lanpjuagc. 


6 


LUX  CHBISTI 


longed  to  tliree  great  roots  known  as  the 
Tibeto-Burman,  the  Kolarian,  and  the  Dra- 
vidian.  The  descendants  of  the  first-named 
are  still  to  be  found  in  the  foot  hills  of  the 
Himalayas,  chiefly  in  upper  Burma  and  Assam; 
the  second  are  now  scattered  through  central 
India ;  while  the  Dravidians  are  to  be  found 
quite  compactly  in  the  south. 

Each  of  these  three  groups  has  given  rise  to 
a  large  number  of  native,  non-Aryan  dialects. 
Out  of  twenty  belonging  to  the  Tibeto-Burman 
group  we  may  mention  the  Burmese,  Naga,  and 
Garo ;  out  of  nine  Kolarian  dialects,  the  Santali 
is  the  chief ;  the  Dravidian  tribes  furnish  twelve 
distinct  languages,  among  which  are  Telugu, 
Tamil,  and  Kanarese.  The  greater  portion  of 
these  aboriginal  tribes  have  submitted  to  tiie 
conquering  race,  and  the  mixed  descendants  of 
conquerors  and  conquered  now  make  a  large 
part  of  the  Hindu  people.  About  an  equal 
number  of  each  race  have  kept  their  ancient 
stock  comparatively  pure.  There  still  linger, 
in  the  jungles  and  mountains,  remnants  of  still 
earlier  aboriginal  tribes  than  these  mentioned, 
for  the  latter  seem  to  have  been  themselves 
invaders  of  India  in  some  dim,  prehistoric  past. 

Contrasted  Development  of  ffebretvs  and  Indo- 
Aryans 

We  have  begun  this  study  by  drawing  a  par- 
allel between  the  contemporaneous  exodus  of 


THE  DIM  CENTURIES 


7 


two  great  peoples,  the  Hebrew  and  the  Hindu. 
We  mark  that  at  tlie  outset  the  Indo-Aryaus 
were  a  free,  highly  developed  people,  entering 
a  vast  and  fertile  continent ;  while  the  Hebrews 
were  a  horde  of  slave-born  wanderers,  taking 
possession  of  a  rocky  strip  of  coast.  The  ques- 
tion must  arise.  Why  sliould  the  Jewish  people 
have  advanced  in  civilization,  intellectual  force, 
and  in  spiritual  attainment  so  far  beyond  the 
Hindu  ?  The  answer  may  be  briefly  given  as 
geographical  and  religious.  India  lies  largely 
within  the  tropics.  The  enervating  tropical 
climate  has  produced  in  the  course  of  centuries 
a  dreamy  and  brooding  mental  habit  in  place 
of  the  early  creative  and  aggressive  energy. 
Palestine,  lying  well  to  the  north,  bred  a 
hardier  and  more  stubl)orn  type  of  men. 

The  Hindus  assimilated  the  semi-civilization 
of  Asia;  the  Jews  the  culture  of  Greece  and 
Rome  and  of  modern  Europe. 

Israel  with  its  lofty,  original  Jehovistic  faith, 
which  was  destined  indeed  to  be  — 

"  dipt  in  l)atlis  of  hissing  tears, 
And  battered  w  itii  the  shocks  of  doom," 

yet  in  the  end  rejected  evexy  form  f)f  jiagan 
polytheism,  and  thus  by  its  unique  monotheism 
became  the  ciiannel  tlirough  which  the  Supreme 
Revelation  of  the  one  God  could  logically  come. 
The  religion  of  the  Indo-Aryans,  on  the  other 
hand,  while  starting  with  a  compai'atively  pure 


8 


LUX  CIIRISTI 


nature-worship  (althougli  the  Rig-Veda  has  allu- 
sions to  thirty-three  deities),  rapidly  degenerated 
into  ritualistic  and  mythological  Brahmanism 
with  its  monstrous  misconceptions  and  puerile 
superstitions.  With  the  degeneration  of  its  reli- 
gion has  come  the  degeneration  of  the  people. 

The  stoiy  of  ancient  India  is  in  the  main  tlie 
story  of  the  rise  and  fall  of  its  religious  systems, 
as  the  Hindus,  in  spite  of  an  enormous  bulk  of 
literature,  have  no  history,  no  records,  no  an- 
nals, for  a  reason  we  shall  find  later. 

I.  THE  HINDU  RELIGION,  MARKED  BY  THREE 
DISTINCT  PHASES 

I .  Vedism. 

Going  back  to  dim  pre-Vedic  ages,  i.e.  the 
ages  before  the  Vedas  were  known,  we  find 
the  first  conception  of  Deity  among  the  Aryans 
to  bear  the  name  Varuna,  "the  Encompasser," 
the  name  given  to  the  infinite  vault  of  heaven 
—  not  to  the  sky,  the  realm  of  cloud  and 
wind  and  rain.  The  hymns  addressed  to  Va- 
runa which  survive  in  the  Vedas  are  not  only 
the  earliest  contained  in  tliem  and  the  noblest, 
but  they  are  apparently  monotheistic,  althougli 
tliis  monotheism  was  quickly  lost.  What  in 
tlie  Vedas  often  appears  monotlieistic,  i.e.  the 
ascription  of  supreme  attributes  to  some  Deity, 
is  in  reality  due  to  the  practice  of  worship])ing 
one  god  at  a  time.,  and  seeking  to  propitiate  him 
by  exalting  liim  as  the  One  and  Only. 


TUE  DIM  CENTURIES 


9 


The  primitive  objects  of  worship  in  the  ab- 
sence of  revealed  religion  are  sure  to  be  the 
forces  of  nature.  Such  were  the  gods  of  the 
Aryans,  known  under  the  general  name  of 
Devas,  "the  bright  ones."  Agni,  the  god  of 
fire,  Indra,  the  god  of  rain,  Surya,  the  sun  or 
god  of  day,  constituted  a  trinity  of  divinities. 
The  Sun-god  was  also  worshipped  as  Mitra,  and 
the  three  letters,  A.  U.  M.,  which  combine  to 
form  the  mystic  syllable  Om,  were  originally 
the  initial  letters  of  the  trinity  composed  of 
Agni,  Indra,^  and  Mitra. 

This  notion  of  a  triad,  indefinitely  multiplied, 
runs  throughout  the  whole  Hindu  religion.  The 
Vedas  speak  of  the  gods  as  "  thrice  eleven  "  in 
number,  while  later  ages  give  thirty-three 
millions. 

To  the  trinity  of  Fire,  Wind,  and  Sun  were 
soon  added  Ushas,  the  Dawn;  Yama,  the  King 
of  Death;  Iludras,  the  Storm  God  or  Destroyer; 
and  Soma,  the  Deification  of  the  exhilarating 
juice  of  the  soma  plant.  The  Ninth  Book  of  the 
Veda,  composed  of  one  hundred  and  fourteen 
hymns,  is  wliolly  devoted  to  the  praise  of  soma. 
Indra  was  supposed  to  be  peculiarly  addicted 
to  the  intoxicating  draught,  and  he  is  thus  ad- 
dressed in  tlie  Rig- Veda,  "  Indra,  take  into  thy 
belly  the  full  wave  of  tlie  inebriating  soma,  for 
thou  art  lord  of  libations."  Again,  with  scant 
ceremony,  "  Sit  down,  Indra,  upon  the  sacred 
^  Vaxuna  (U)  was  sometimes  substituted  for  Indra. 


10 


LUX  CTTRISTI 


grass,  and  when  thou  liast  drunk  the  soma,  then, 
Indra,  go  home."  Great  were  the  orgies  of 
gods  and  men  on  the  Indian  Olympus !  Agni, 
the  Fire-god,  was  especially  pleased  by  offerings 
of  clarified  butter  Q/hee),  as  the  pouring  of  this 
substance  upon  fire  produced  a  brilliant  blaze. 
The  favorite  epithets  for  Agni  were  therefore 
"  butter-haired,"  "  butter-backed,"  etc. 

The  Vedic  religion,  in  place  of  the  stoical 
pessimism  of  later  Hinduism,  was  full  of  a 
"joyous  sense  of  life."  The  Rig-Veda  has  not 
a  little  poetic  fire  and  elevation.  Suggestions 
are  found  in  it  of  the  common  traditions  of  the 
Creation,  the  Fall,  the  Deluge.  The  Vedas 
give  no  sanction  to  the  doctrine  of  transmigra- 
tion of  souls,  the  burning  of  widows,  the  prev- 
alence of  child-marriage,  the  tyranny  of  caste 
(explicitly),  nor  the  practice  of  idolatry.  But 
while  they  are  free  from  many  of  the  corrup- 
tions of  decadent  Brahmanism,  "they  will  be 
found,"  says  Monier  Williams,  Boden  Professor 
of  Sanskrit  at  Oxford,  "  when  taken  as  a  whole, 
to  abound  more  in  puerile  ideas  than  in  lofty 
conceptions."  ]\Iax  INliiller,  the  first  translator 
of  the  Vedas,  says,  "  Large  numbers  of  the  Vedic 
hymns  are  childish  in  the  extreme";  sentiments 
and  passions  unworthy  of  deity  are  ascribed  to 
the  gods,  not  one  of  whom  indeed,  save  Varuna, 
is  of  a  i)ure  and  lofty  character.  Intelligent 
modern  Hindus  do  not  conceal  their  own  dis- 
appointment at  the  sterility  of  the  Vedas,  which 


THE  DIM  CENTURIES 


11 


for  centuries  were  practically  unread.  In  short, 
the  time  has  gone  by  for  ejishrouding  these 
interesting  memorials  in  imposing  mystery,  and 
seeking  to  overawe  the  uninitiated  by  assertions 
of  their  inconceivable  grandeur.  They  are 
translated  now  and  can  be  read  by  any  one  who 
has  patience  to  push  his  way  through  the  "  un- 
arranged,  promiscuous  mass  .  .  .  destitute  of 
system  or  harmony."  Here  and  there  may  be 
found  a  noble  hymn,  a  lofty  prayer ;  but  between 
these  oases  are  illimitable  deserts  of  tedious 
sensuality,  fantastic  and  monotonous  beyond 
belief.  The  claim  of  extreme  antiquity  for  the 
Vedas  is  surpassed  by  that  of  the  earlier  Hebrew 
scriptures  ;  and  the  moral  elevation  of  the  latter, 
as  well  as  their  sustained  poetic  grandeur,  shine 
with  peculiar  lustre  by  comparison. 

Vedisin,orthe  purer  early  religion  of  the  Vedas 
with  its  underlying  monotheism,  may  be  said 
generally  to  have  extended  to  the  eighth  century 
u.c,  when  it  was  gradually  overgrown  by  the 
second  phase  of  Hindu  religion,  Brahmanism. 

2.  Brahmanism. 

This  word  is  formed  from  the  term  "Brahma," 
signifying  the  Supremo  Soul  of  the  Universe, 
at  first  known  as  Atman^  the  Breath  of  Life. 

The  priestly  class  had  now  gained  great 
power,  and  in  their  hands  the  Vedas  were  inter- 
preted to  suit  their  own  ends.  The  vague  sug- 
gestion of  caste  in  the  celebrated  Purusha' 

'  See  pp.  31-32  for  the  origin  and  significance  of  caate. 


12 


LUX  CHRISTI 


hymn  of  the  Rig- Veda  was  by  the  priests  or 
Brahmans  developed  into  a  fourfold  order,  an 
vuiparalleled  social  tyranny.  The  Brahmanas, 
cr  ritualistic  treatises,  "  which  have  hardly  their 
match  for  pedantry  and  downright  absurdity," 
were  added  to  the  Vedas,  and  the  sacrificial 
system,  which  fed  the  priesthood  more  than  the 
gods,  was  enormously  elaborated,  so  that  "  the 
land  was  deluged  in  the  blood  of  slain  beasts." 

The  Code  of  Manii 

The  Code  of  Manu,  although  of  gradual 
growth  and  indefinite  date,  belongs  to  this 
epoch.  It  came  into  being  to  stem  the  tide  of 
rationalistic  thoiight  to  which  the  exaggerations 
of  the  sacrificial  system  had  given  rise.  This 
Code  stands  for  rigid  conservatism,  for  the  iron 
severity  of  caste,  and  for  the  lex  talionis  in  bit- 
terest cruelty,  as  thus  indicated,  "  With  what- 
ever member  of  the  body  a  low-born  man  may 
injure  his  superior,  that  very  member  of  his 
body  must  be  mutilated."  (Book  VIII.)  A 
once-born  man  insulting  twice-born  men  with 
abusive  language  must  have  his  tongue  cut 
out."  (Book  IX.)  The  authors  of  the  Code  of 
Manu  were  evidently  Brahmans,  and  its  undevi- 
ating  purpose  is  to  intrench  the  Brahman  caste 
finally  and  forever  in  its  authority.  The  supe- 
riority of  the  Brahmans  is  the  hinge  on  which 
the  whole  social  organization  turns.  Besides 
these  doctrines  the  Code  of  Manu  discourses 


THE  DIM  CENTURIES 


13 


largely  on  tlie  transmigratiou  of  souls.  The 
following,  in  brief,  is  this  theory,  which  is  im- 
portant as  being  a  pervasive,  practical  force 
to-day  in  all  Hindu  life  and  thought,  as  charac- 
teristic of  Buddhism  as  of  Brahmanism  :  — 

Every  act  and  every  thought  produces  either 
good  or  evil  fruit.  As  a  result  of  conduct  on 
eartli  the  spirits  of  men  are  reincarnated  in  an 
endless  succession  of  forms.  The  accepted 
number  of  rebirths  is  8,400,000.  A  common 
c()lli)quialism  for  the  attainment  of  salvation  is 
'•'to  cut  short  the  84."  A  threefold  alternative 
is  presented  to  the  soul  :  it  may  pass  through 
deities,  through  men,  or  through  beasts  and 
plants.  It  will  go  through  deities  if  goodness 
prevails  in  its  nature  ;  through  men  if  it  is 
ruled  by  passion  ;  throiigh  beasts  and  plants 
if  it  dwells  still  lower  in  the  moral  scale,  as, 
for  instance,  the  soul  may  be  reborn  in  the 
form  of  a  worm  in  the  body  of  an  unclean 
beast. 

A  lirahman,  neglecting  his  own  appointed 
caste  duty,  will  be  born  as  a  vomit-eating 
demon  ;  a  soldier,  as  a  demon  feeding  on  excre- 
ment and  dead  1)odies  ;  a  husbandman,  as  a 
demon  feeding  on  putrid  carrion. 

The  deterioration  of  tlie  Vedic  writings  is 
well  illustrated  by  comparing  these  degrading 
and  loathsome  terrors  with  the  calm  repose  and 
noble  faith  of  the  Burial  Hymn.^ 
1  p.  32. 


14 


LUX  CHRISTI 


The  Xinth  Book  of  the  Code  of  Manu  relates 
to  women  and  fixes  their  status  of  inferiority 
and  subservience  as  we  find  it  in  India  to- 
day. 

"  Women  have  no  business  with  the  text  of 
the  Veda  ;  this  is  fully  settled  ;  therefore  hav- 
ing no  knowledge  of  expiatory  texts,  sinful 
women  must  be  as  foul  as  falsehood  itself.  This 
is  a  fixed  law,*'  etc.  Hindu  cosmogony  and 
cosmography  are  dealt  with  in  the  code  in  a 
manner  equally  intelligent. 

Systems  of  Philosophy 

As  an  outgrowth  of  the  rationalistic  tendency 
which  the  Code  of  Manu  was  framed  to  meet, 
we  find  at  about  this  time  a  body  of  speculative 
doctrine  put  forth  called  the  Upanishads.  The 
dread  of  continued  passing  from  one  form  of 
life  to  another  had  become  the  one  haunting 
thought  which  colored  the  whole  texture  of 
Indian  philosoph}-."  To  liberate  the  spirit  of 
man  from  this  bondage  of  transmigration  was 
known  as  "the  Way  of  Knowledge,"  and  con- 
stituted "the  summum  honum  of  Brahmanical 
philosophy." 

Upon  the  Upanishads  are  built  the  three 
ruling  systems  of  Hindu  philosophy,  viz., 
Nyaya,  Sankhya,  and  Vedanta.  The  last 
named  is  the  leading  jdiilosophy  of  India.  The 
name  means  "  the  end  or  scope  of  the  Veda." 
Its  two  cardinal  principles  are  Illusion  —  Maya 


THE  DIM  CENTURIES 


15 


—  and  Pantheism.  Maya  is  "  a  play  which  the 
Absolute  plays  with  himself."  The  "  great 
saying"  is  Om,  i.e.  I  am  Grod  or  /  am  Me. 
Again,  "  The  whole  universe  is  God."  "  There 
is  nothing  else."  "Ignorance  makes  the  soul 
think  itself  different  from  God,  and  it  also  pro- 
jects  the  appearance  of  an  external  world,"  in 
short,  the  finite  world  with  all  its  appearances 
is  all  illusion. 

We  can  now  understand  why  the  history  of 
the  Hindu  people  has  never  been  written  or 
preserved.  Vedautic  and  other  similar  doctrine 
have  so  practically  and  universally  permeated 
the  popular  mind  with  the  conception  that  all  is 
illusion,  that  no  human  being  and  no  earthly 
events  or  conditions  have  the  slightest  value,  or 
are  in  any  Avay  worthy  of  record  or  investiga- 
tion. 

Pantheism 

Pantheism,  the  theory  that  all  is  God  and 
God  is  all, — there  is  nothing  real  in  the  uni- 
verse but  God,  for  God  is  the  universe,  —  lies  at 
the  foundation  of  every  phase  of  Hinduism,  and 
expresses  itself  in  the  polytheism  whicli  regards 
all  things,  from  tlie  soul  of  man  to  the  blade  of 
grass,  as  wornhipahle,  since  all  alike  are  pervaded 
by  divinity.  Kvnn  the  most  uneducated  Hindus 
state  that  they  ani  tliemsclves  parts  of  the 
Deity,  as  are  all  otlicM"  l)eings  in  the  universe. 
Tliis  cardinal  doctriiu;  is  suiniiicd  up  in  liie 
Chandogya  Upauishad,  "  Tldx  atom  belonjeth  to 


16 


LUX  CHRISTI 


the  Over-Soul^  is  the  All,  is  the  Truth,  is  the 
Over-Soul.  That  art  thou.'"  The  lack  of  a 
sense  of  sinfulness,  characteristic  of  the  people, 
finds  here  its  obvious  explanation.  There  can 
be  no  guilt  where  all  that  we  call  good  or  evil 
is  but  the  necessary  self-manifestation  of  the 
one  unconscious  essence.  All  that  we  behold 
or  conceive,  —  animals,  men,  natural  forces,  and 
gods,  —  are,  according  to  the  theory  of  Brah- 
manism,  alike  divine.  Hence  the  rapid  multi- 
plication of  deities  to  thirty-three  millions  in 
decadent  Hinduism. 

Reaction  under  Gautama 

In  the  sixth  century  B.C.  there  was  born 
the  son  of  a  rajah  of  the  Sakya  tribe  of  Aryans, 
named  Gautama,  and  afterward  called  the 
Buddha,  or  Enlightened  One.  Of  the  religion 
which  was  founded  by  this  remarkable  re- 
former, we  shall  speak  more  fully  later.  We 
mention  it  at  this  point  only  to  consider  its 
effect  upon  lirahmanism,  against  the  tyranny 
and  exaggerations  of  which  it  was  a  noble 
protest  and  one  which  for  a  time  bade  fair 
to  prevail. 

Wherever  the  new  religion  spread,  it  produced 
a  profound  revolution  in  Indian  thought  and 
was  enthusiastically  accepted.  With  marvel- 
lous adroitness  and  subtlety  the  Brahmans  met 
this  reaction  ;  proved  themselves  able  to  assim- 
ilate all  that  they  chose  of  the  new  cult,  to 


THE  DIM  CENTURIES 


17 


popularize  new  aspects  of  ancient  gods  and 
heroes,  and  to  weave  all  into  one  vast  system, 
known  as  Hinduism,  the  lineal  descendant  of 
Vedism  and  Brahmanism. 

"  Like  an  immense  glacier,"  says  Rowe, 
"  slowly  descending  from  the  mountain,  gather- 
ing up  and  incorporating  stones,  earth,  and 
debris  of  whatever  kind  comes  in  its  way,  but 
at  the  same  time  accommodating  itself  to  the 
configuration  of  the  mountain  side,  so  has  Hin- 
duism come  down  through  the  ages,  gathering 
up  and  incorporating  whatever  gods  and  god- 
desses, heroes  and  saints,  religious  theories  and 
doctrines,  rites  and  ceremonies,  came  in  its  way. 
So  flexible  is  Hinduism,  and  in  a  certain  way  so 
tolerant,  that  Christianity,  its  deadly  foe,  could 
at  once  be  incorporated  into  this  huge  system  if 
Christians  would  but  consent  to  have  Jesus 
Christ  regarded  as  one  of  the  innumerable  gods 
of  the  Hindu  pantheon,  form  a  caste  subdivision 
by  themselves,  and  pay  proper  homage  to  the 
Brahmans." 

3.  Modern  Hinduism  or  Mythological  Brah- 
manism. 

Jiuddliism  grew  to  a  great  popularity  in  the 
century  after  the  death  of  its  founder,  and  it 
appears  to  be  coincident  with  this  movement 
that  the  Hi'ahmans  l)egan  to  popularize  their 
own  religion,  and  to  seek  to  satisfy  the  craving 
of  tlie  people  for  personal  gods  with  human 
attributes.  Tlience  jjroceedcd  tlie  gross  degen- 
o 


18 


LUX  CHRISTI 


eration  of  Hinduism,  i.e.  mj^thological  Brali- 
mauism.  The  s^'stein  is  briefly  this  :  the  prime 
universal  essence  is  Brahma  (neuter),  which 
when  united  to  Maya,  or  Illusion,  gives  birth 
to  tlie  primeval  male  god,  Brahma,  the  Creator 
of  all  inferior  forms,  from  himself  to  a  tuft  of 
grass.  Two  other  essential  functions,  Preser- 
vation and  Destruction,  made  it  necessary  to 
associate  with  Brahma  two  other  personal 
deities,  —  Vishnu,  the  Preserver,  and  Rudra- 
Siva,  the  Dissolver  and  Reproducer.  These 
three  gods,  concerned  in  the  threefold  ojiera- 
tion  of  integration,  maintenance,  and  disinte- 
gration, constitute  the  Tri-murti,  or  Sacred 
Triad  of  decadent  Brahmanism.  Of  these  three 
Brahma  is  practically  ignored  in  the  popular 
mind,  and  the  original  spiritual  essence  is  lost 
in  the  very  earthly  personalities  of  Vishnu  and 
Siva. 

Hindu  Tri-murti 

A  Hindu  poet  of  the  third  century  a.d.  thus 
idealizes  the  unity  and  the  equality  of  the  Tri- 
murti  :  — 

"  In  those  three  Persons  th(>  one  God  was  sliown  — 
Eacli  first  in  jilace,  eacli  last,  —  not  one  alone  ; 
Of  Braluua,  \'isluni,  Siva,  each  may  be 
First,  second,  third,  among  the  blessed  Three." 

From  a  work  on  India,  by  W.  (i.  Williams, 
we  take  the  diagram  hei-e  given  of  the  three 
members  of  the  Tri-murti  antl  their  wives  :  — 


THE  DIM  CENTURIES 


19 


Brahma,  the  Supremo") 

Maya  —  Illusion  / 

I                            \  \  i 

Brahma,  Creator,  Vishuu,  Preserver,  Siva,  Destroyer, 

and                        and  and 

Sarasvati,                Lakshmi,  Parvati, 

his  wife.                  his  wife.  his  wife. 

Parvati,  wife  of  Siva,  is  also  known  as  Durga  and 
Kali.  Her  son  is  Ganesa,  the  elepliant-lieaded 
s^od  of  wisdom,  who  is,  moreover,  a  great  glut- 
ton, devoted  to  soma  and  pancakes.  The  whole 
pantheon,  indeed,  teems  with  horrible  and  gro- 
Lcsque  creations,  half  monster  and  half  god. 

I  Vaishnavism 

While  each  of  the  three  persons  of  the  Tri- 
■nurti  has  its  own  proper  following,  Vaishnavism, 
,he  especial  worship  and  exaltation  of  Vishnu, 
;he  Preserver,  has  the  popular  heart. 

The  chief  distinction  of  Vishnu  is  that  he 
las  condescended  to  infuse  his  essence  at  dif- 
Went  times  into  animals  and  men,  in  a  series 
•f  descents  or  incarnations,  known  as  avatars, 
["he  ten   great   avatars  are  :    1.    The  Fish. 
!.  The  Tortoise.    3.  The  Boar.    4.  The  Man- 
ion.    5.  The  Dwarf.    6.  Rama  with  the  axe. 
.  Rama-candra,  the  hero  of  tlie  Ramayana. 
.    Krishna,  the   most   popular,   and  perhaps 
he  most  demoralizing,  of  all  the  Hindu  gods. 
,  •  Buddha  (adopted  as  an  avatar  of  Vishnu, 
ccording  to  some  authorities,  in  a  spirit  of 
irewd  comproniise ;  according  to  others,  as  a 


20 


LUX  CUBISTI 


Lying  Spirit  let  loose  to  deceive  men  until 
the  final  descent  of  Vishnu).  10.  Lalki.  This 
descent,  which  is  the  last,  is  reserved  for  an 
indefinite  future,  when  the  wicked  shall  be 
destroyed  and  the  world  renovated. 

It  is  needless  to  attempt  to  enumerate  the 
later  Hindu  gods  and  goddesses.  They  range 
from  varying  conceptions  and  expressions  of 
the  universal  essence  to  the  most  loathsome 
fiends  and  ogresses. 

Kali  Worship 
Tlie  female  principle  is  worshipped  under 
countless  forms.  The  most  appalling  concep- 
tion is  that  of  Kali,  who  is  thus  described  in 
the  Tantras,  or  sacred  books  of  Goddess- 
worship  :  "  One  should  adore  with  liquors 
and  oblations  that  Kali,  who  has  a  terrible 
gaping  mouth  and  uncombed  hair ;  who  has 
four  hands  and  a  splendid  garland  formed  of 
the  heads  of  the  giants  she  has  slain  and  whose 
blood  she  has  drunk,"  etc.,  ad  nauseam.  Says 
a  Hindu  gentleman :  "  Popular  ideas  on  the 
subject  of  Kali-worship  by  no  means  reach  the 
mysterious  vileness  it  suggests.  Its  real  mean- 
ing cannot  be  explained.  Those  inclined  tc 
dive  into  such  filth  must  study  the  ritual  foi 
Kali-worsliip." 

Decline  from  Varuna  to  Krishna 
Place  beside  t  liis  hideous  distortion  the  figup 
of  Krishna,  the  grossly  immoral,  coarse,  nm 


THE  DIM  CEXTUEIES 


21 


low-minded  cowherd  whose  cult  was  worked 
out  in  the  sixth  century  of  the  Christian  era, 
and  which  is  now  the  popular  religion  of  India. 
Then  glance  back  to  the  "  roof  of  the  world," 
and  see  the  steady  road  of  decadence  and  de- 
generation by  wliich  Hinduism  has  travelled 
from  the  free,  high-hearted,  conquering  Aryans 
with  their  worship  of  tlie  pure,  all-encompass- 
ing infinitude  of  Varuna.  Nevertheless  the 
seed  was  in  itself,  ior  a  taint  of  polytheism 
resided  in  the  earliest  Vedic  conceptions  of 
deity,  —  a  taint  which,  in  the  course  of  ages,  has 
poisoned  the  blood  in  every  minutest  vein  of 
the  great  Hindu  organism. 

This  third  and  worst  stage  of  Hinduism  is 
now  the  religion  of  probably  over  two  hundred 
and  seven  millions  of  souls  in  India,  to  which 
it  is  confined,  since  Hinduism  is  essentially  an 
ethnic  religion,  like  Confucianism  and  Zoroas- 
trianism. 

II.  BUDDHISM 

We  have  spoken,  on  an  earlier  page,  of  the 
birth  of  Sakya-Muni,  or  Gautama,  the  Buddha, 
or  Enlightened  One,  in  the  sixth  century  B.C. 
Space  cannot  l)c  given  in  this  study  to  a  detailed 
account  ot"  liis  life;  and  teaching.  The  main 
events  ami  features  are  easily  accessible,  and 
as  Buddliism  is  not  an  accepted  or  established 
religion  at  tlie  present  time  in  peninsular  India, 
its  detailed  consideration   Ixloiigs  elsewhere. 


22 


LUX  CHP.ISTI 


The  legends  narrate  that  Gautama,  son  of  a 
rajah  of  the  Aryan  race,  born  at  Kapilavastu, 
in  northern  India,  thwarted  his  father's  desire 
for  his  worklly  pleasure  and  advancement  by 
his  meditative  and  ascetic  habit.  Finally,  at 
the  age  of  twenty-nine,  he  broke  away  from  the 
court  altogether,  and  made  what  is  known  as 
his  "  Great  Renunciation,"  forsaking  his  palace, 
father,  wife,  child,  and  assuming  the  dress  and 
entering  upon  the  life  of  a  mendicant. 

For  six  years  Gautama  practised  the  auster- 
ities of  a  Brahman  ascetic,  but  found  no  peace. 
Then  he  returned  to  the  ordinary  life  of  com- 
mon people,  and  after  sitting  lost  in  contempla- 
tion under  the  sacred  pipal  tree  at  Gaya  for 
a  week  and  suffering  from  divers  fiery  tempta- 
tions, he  attained  to  the  vision  of  the  Way  of 
true  peace  and  holiness.  After  this  experience 
Gautama  was  known  as  the  Buddha. 

Buddhist  Doctrine 

Although  he  broke  with  the  current  Brahman- 
ism  of  his  day  at  many  points,  Buddha  re- 
moulded without  discarding  its  most  monstrous 
fiction,  viz.,  the  transmigration  of  souls.  This 
doctrine,  indeed,  in  a  somewhat  idealized  form, 
was  the  essential  foundation  of  his  whole  system. 
Starting  with  tlie  conviction  tliat  the  delusion 
of  individuality  is  the  chief  Fetter  of  the  soul, 
and  the  desire  for  preserving  the  identity,  the 
promoting  cause  for  the  myriad  rebirths,  Buddha 


THE  DIM  CENTURIES 


23 


sought  and  found  "  the  Way  "  to  the  only  re- 
lease, the  only  salvation,  i.e.  Nirvana,  literally 
the  "  going  out,"  as  of  the  flame  of  a  candle. 

The  Buddhist  books  (the  Tripitaka,  three 
baskets)  are  full  of  descriptions  of  means  by 
which  to  get  rid  of  the  delusion  of  individuality, 
to  enter  the  Path  to  Extinction.  The  con- 
ception of  moral  discipline,  love,  charity,  and 
fraternity,  as  "  the  Path,"  in  place  of  sacrifice 
and  ceremony,  is  the  nobly  distinguishing  note 
of  Buddhism  in  contrast  with  Brahmanism. 
For  poly  theism,  the  Buddha  substituted  atheism, 
without  however  breaking  sharply  with  the 
established  system.  He  never  claimed  divinity, 
and  was  a  saviour  only  in  that  he  taught  his 
rules  for  perfection,  which  were  an  immense 
advance  over  the  teaching  of  Brahmanism,  but 
far  below  the  level  of  the  teachings  of  Christ. 
He  died  of  indigestion  at  Kusinara,  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years. 

Spread  of  Buddhism 
Buddliism  was  from  the  first  a  missionary 
religion,  unlike  Brahmanism,  which  has  never 
gone  beyond  India.  Multitudes  accepted  its 
teachings  in  Nepaul,  Thibet,  Burma,  Ceylon, 
China,  Siam,  and  Japan,  and  it  is  now  the 
popular  religion  of  all  eastern  Asia  save  India, 
numbering  four  linndred  millions  of  adl)erents. 
In  India  the  new  religion  in  a  few  centuries 
largely  took  tlie  place  of  Brahmanism,  being 
zealously  promulgated  l)y  the  renowned  Indian 


24 


LUX  CHEISTI 


monarch,  Asoka,  the  Constantine  of  Buddhism. 
Asoka  even  sent  missionaries  to  Syria,  Egypt, 
and  Greece  to  proclaim  the  doctrines  of  Buddha. 

Buddhism  driven  out  of  India 
In  its  turn  Buddliism,  however,  became  en- 
feebled and  corrupt.  After  a  fierce  struggle, 
confused  and  protracted,  against  the  rehabili- 
tated Brahmanism,  with  its  tempting  array  of 
social  and  dramatic  deities,  it  was  annihilated 
in  India,  save  as  absorbed  into  the  great  Hindu 
system.  Its  monasteries  and  temples  were  de- 
stroyed, its  priests  and  people  slain,  exiled,  or 
brought  over  to  the  ancient  faith. 

Burma  and  the  island  of  Ceylon  are  the  only 
parts  of  India  where  Buddhism  now  lingers. 
In  them  both,  Buddhism  in  its  purest  and  least 
adulterated  form  can  be  found.  The  latter  is 
the  seat  of  Buddhist  scholars  and  devotees. 
At  Kandy  is  the  temple  in  wliich  is  preserved 
the  so-called  "  tooth  of  Buddha,"  the  object  of 
intense  adoration.  Buddhism  survives  also  to 
a  certain  extent  in  southern  India  in  the  form 
of  Jainism,  which  is  a  product  of  mixing  Brah- 
manism and  Buddhism.  Its  temples  are  par- 
ticularl}^  noteworthy.  Together  Biiddhism 
and  Jainism  munbcr  a  little  more  than  seven 
millions  of  the  population  of  India. 

Defects  of  Buddhism, 
It  is  noticeable  that  to  no  one  of  the  nations 
professing  it  lias  Buddhism  given  advanced 


THE  DIM  CENTURIES 


25 


civilization  or  a  liigli  type  of  personal  religion. 
Its  theories  are  lofty  but  singularly  barren,  as 
are  all  stoical  systems.  It  has  been  common 
of  recent  years  to  refer  to  Arnold's  "Light  of 
Asia  "  as  an  authoritative  utterance  concerning 
Buddha.  That  perfervid  piece  of  hero-worsliip, 
however,  bears  slight  resemblance  to  the  sim- 
ple dignity  of  the  real  story  of  Gautama,  and  is 
looked  upon  by  philosophical  Buddhist  scholars 
as  a  species  of  metaphysical  Lalla  Rookh.  It 
may  be  added  in  passing,  concerning  the  cult 
known  in  England  and  America  as  "  Esoteric 
Buddhism,"  tliat  Dr.  Rhys  Davids,  our  chief 
authority  on  the  religion  of  Gautama,  says  it 
may  be  all  very  well,  but  it  is  not  esoteric,  and 
it  is  not  Buddliism. 

The  Pitakas  have  not  all,  as  yet,  been  trans- 
lated. When  complete  they  will  cover  ten 
thousand  pages.  They  are  said  to  be  turgid 
and  wearisome  in  the  extreme. 

Much  as  it  has  been  vaunted  by  recent  en- 
thusiasts, early  Buddhism  was  atheistic,  and 
it  remains  a  gloomy  religion,  bloodless  and 
lifeless,  and  has  become  grossly  degraded  by 
superstition.  Says  James  Freeman  Clarke: 
"  It  is  an  outward  constraint,  not  an  inward 
inspiration.  Niliilism  arrives  sooner  or  later, 
(iod  is  notliing,  man  is  nothing,  life  is  nothing, 
death  is  nothiiig,  eternity  is  nothing.  Hence 
the  profound  sadness  of  Buddhism.  .  .  .  The 
only  emancipation  from   self-love   is   in  the 


26 


LUX  CHRISTI 


perception  of  an  infinite  love.  Buddhism, 
ignoring  this  infinite  love,  incapable  of  com- 
munion with  God,  aiming  at  morality  without 
religion,  at  humanity  without  piety,  becomes  at 
last  the  prey  to  the  sadness  of  selfish  isolation. 
.  .  .  Christianity  touches  Buddhism  at  all  its 
good  points,  in  all  its  truth.  .  .  .  but  to  all  this 
it  adds  how  much  more !  It  fills  up  the  dreary 
void  of  Buddhism  with  a  living  God.  ...  It 
gives  a  divine  as  real  as  the  human,  an  infinite 
as  solid  as  the  finite.  And  this  it  does,  not  by 
a  system  of  thought  but  by  a  fountain  and 
stream  of  life." 


THE  SACRED  LITERATURE  OF  THE  HINDUS, 

to  all  of  which  the  inclusive  term  Veda  (Divine  Knowl- 
edge) is  applied  by  the  Brahmans.  The  original  text  of 
aU  is  Sanskrit,  but  many  parts  have  been  translated  into 
the  Vernacular. 

I.  The  four  Vedas  proper. 

While  existing  orally  for  many  centuries  before  Christ, 
these  productions  remained  unwritten  until  the  fifteenth 
century  a.d. 

The  four  books  are  each  divided  into  two  parts :  first,  the 
Mantra,  or  liymns  of  praise  and  prayer;  .second,  the  Brah- 
inana,  a  ritualistic  treatise,  generally  in  prose,  .somewhat 
akin  to  the  book  of  Leviticus  in  the  Hebrew  Scriptures. 

1.  The  Rif/-Veda,  or  Ilymn-Veda.  This  is  the  first 
Bible  of  the  Hindu  religion,  the  oldest  and  only  important 
])art  of  the  four  Vedas.  It  is  a  collection  of  1017  hymns, 
containing  10,580  verses,  chiefly  addressed  to  tlie  gods. 
It  is  the  great  literary  memorial  of  the  entrance  of  the 


THE  DIM  CENTURIES 


27 


Aryan  race  iuto  India,  about  1500  b.c.  It  shows  them 
on  their  victorious  march  through  Cabul  to  the  Punjab, 
among  the  great  river  systems  of  the  Indus  and  the 
Jumna,  and  moving  eastv\'ard  to  the  Ganges. 

2.  The.  Sacrificial -\'eda,  or  Yahur-Veda,^  belongs  to  a 
later  phase  of  the  Hindu  system,  and  is  mainly  liturgical. 

3.  The  Chanl-Veda,  Sama-Veda,  closely  resembles  the 
second.  It  contains  hymns  to  be  chanted  at  certain 
ceremonies  where  tlie  juice  of  the  soma  plant  was  the 
chief  offering. 

4.  The  Spcll-Veda,  Atharva-Veda,  is  much  later  in 
origin  than  the  rest,  and  was  not  perhaps  recognized  as 
a  fourth  Veda  until  about  the  fifth  century  n.c.  The 
most  prominent  characteristic  feature  of  the  Atharvan  is 
the  multitude  of  incantations  which  it  contains. 

II.  The  Code  of  Manu. 

Date,  about  GOO  n.c.  according  to  Monier  Williams. 

The  body  of  Hindu  law,  whose  originator  is  unknown. 
It  is  the  chief  authority  in  Hindu  jurisprudence,  and 
contains  precise  rules  for  the  constitution  of  the  Hindu 
social  fabric,  for  the  due  coordination  of  its  different 
orders,  and  for  the  regulation  of  everyday  donu^stic  life. 

These  rules  are  contained  in  three  principal  codes 
wiiich  together  constitute  a  kind  of  Bible  of  legal 
Brahmanism,  and  remain,  in  tlicir  control  of  Indian 
social  and  domestic  life,  little  changed  by  the  lapse  of 
more  than  two  thousand  years.  Tlie  rules  of  caste  are 
rigidly  enforced. 

Book  I  is  on  Creation.    Book  II  on  Education  and  the 

1  A  few  years  ago  a  part  of  the  Yahur-Voda  was  translated 
into  the  Vernacular  for  general  circulation.  Cautious  as  is 
the  British  government  in  offending  the  religious  prejudices 
of  the  people,  those  concerned  in  the  translation  and  pub- 
lication were  punislied  as  having  violated  the  law  against 
obscene  literature. 


28 


LUX  CHEISTI 


Priesthood,  rooks  III-IV  on  Private  Morals.  Book  V 
on  Diet.  Book  VI  on  Devotion.  Book  VII  on  the 
Duties  of  Rulers.  Book  Ylll  on  Civil  and  Criminal 
Law.  Book  IX  on  Women,  Families,  and  the  Law  of 
Caste.  Book  X  on  Mixed  Classes  and  Times  of  Distress. 
Book  XI  on  Penance  and  Expiation.  Book  XII  on 
Transmigration  and  Final  Beatitude. 

III.  The  Upanishads  and  Sutras. 
Date,  about  500  b.c. 

The  Upanishads,  or  '•  instructions,"  formed  the  Bible 
of  philosophical  Brahmanism.  At  least  two  hundred  and 
fifty  of  them  are  known  to  exist.  They  had  their  origin 
in  the  ascetic  tendency  which  led  many  Brahmans  to  flee 
to  the  forests  for  seclusion  in  which  to  pursue  their 
flights  of  si>eculative  thought.  These  recluses  gradually 
composed  and  built  up  a  series  of  forest  ti'eatises  kno'^-n 
as  the  "  Aranyakas,"  out  of  which  grew  the  later  and 
more  systematized  Upanishads.  The  systems  of  philos- 
ophy which  are  founded  on  these  mystical  and  specula- 
tive writings  are  known  as  Shastras,  a  term  which  is 
also  used  to  cover  the  Vedas  and  the  whole  body  of  laws, 
letters,  and  religion.  The  Sutras  are  concise  sentences 
which  contain  "  the  distUled  essence  of  all  the  knowledge 
which  the  Brahmans  have  collected  during  centuries  of 
meditation." 

IV.  The  two  great  Epic  Poems,  the  Ramayana  and  the 
Maha-bharata,  which  may  be  called  "  the  Bible  of  the 
Mythological  Phase  of  Brahmanism." 

Date,  variously  placed  from  500  or  400  n.c.  to  the 
beginning  of  the  Christian  era. 

These  two  poems  are  called  The  Iliad  and  Odyssey  of 
the  Hindus,"  and  there  is  some  reason  to  believe  that  the 
motifs  of  them  were  borrowed  from  Homer. 

The  llamuyaua,  souietimes  termed  '-The  Iliad  of  the 


THE  DIM  CENTUBIES 


29 


East,"  treats  of  a  war  undertaken  to  recover  the  •wife  of 
one  of  the  warriors,  who  was  carriod  ofE  by  the  hero  on 
the  other  side.  Rama  is  the  hero ;  the  chaste  and  beauti- 
ful Sita,  his  wife.  The  poem  consists  of  twenty-four 
thousand  verses. 

The  Maha-bharata  is  the  most  gigantic  poem  in  exist- 
ence, containing  two  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  lines, 
and  is  not  a  single  poem,  but  an  unwieldy  collection  of 
Hindu  mythology,  legend,  and  philosophy.  Different  por- 
tions can  be  traced  to  different  dates. 

Included  in  the  great  epic  is  an  interpolation  known 
as  the  Bhagavad-Gita,  or  "Divine  Song,"  consisting  of  a 
long  discourse  in  dialogue  form  by  Krishna.  It  affirms 
the  divinity  of  Krishna,  and  is  an  attempt  to  reconcile 
the  various  Hindu  jihilosophies.  It  is  usually  assigned 
to. the  third  century  a.d. 

V.  The  Puranas. 

Date,  GOU  and  700  a.d.,  and  later. 

The  name  Purana  signifies  an  old  tradition.  These, 
the  most  modern  of  Hindu  sacred  books  save  the  Tan- 
tras,  ai'e  sometimes  called  a  fifth  Veda,  being  designed 
to  teach  Vedic  doctrines  to  women  and  low  caste  men. 
The  theology  and  cosmogony  of  these  books  are  largely 
drawn  from  earlier  writings.  As  far  as  actual  history 
or  chronology  goes,  the  Puranas  are  valueless,  but  their 
myths  and  legends  shed  light  on  the  customs  of  the 
people  and  times.  Contending  sects  have  contributed  to 
them  many  absurd  fictions  for  tlie  glorification  of  Vishnu, 
Siva,  and  other  favorite  deities.  The  Puranas  contain 
one  million  six  hundred  thou.sand  lines,  and  may  be 
called  the  Bible  of  Saivism  and  Vaishnavism. 

VI.  The  Tantras. 

Date  not  fixed,  probably  soniewlial,  later  than  the 
Puranas. 

The  Bible  of  Saktism,  inculcating  exclusive  adoration 
of  Sakti,  wife  of  the  god  Siva.    The  Tantras  present 


30 


LUX  CHBISTI 


Hiuduisin  "  at  its  worst  and  most  corrupt  stage  of  devel- 
opment." They  identify  all  force  with  the  female  prin- 
ciple in  nature.  "  A  vast  proportion  of  the  inhabitants 
of  India  are  guided  in  their  daily  life  by  Tantrik  teaching 
and  are  in  bondage  to  its  gross  superstitions."  (Monier 
AVilliams.)    The  Tanti-as  have  never  been  translated. 


FAMOUS  PASSAGES  FROM  HINDU 
LITERATURE 

Hymx  to  Varuna 

Let  me  not  yet,  O  Vanma,  enter  into  the  house  of 
clay ;  have  mercy,  almighty,  have  mercy ! 

If  I  go  trembling,  like  a  cloud  di-iven  by  the  wind, 
have  mercy,  abnightj^,  have  mercy ! 

Through  want  of  strength,  thou  strong  and  bright 
god,  have  I  gone  to  the  wrong  shore ;  have  mercy,  al- 
mighty, have  mercy ! 

Thirst  came  upon  the  worshipper,  though  he  stood 
in  the  midst  of  the  waters;  have  mercy,  almighty,  have 
mercy  1 

Whenever  we  men,  O  Varuna,  commit  an  offence  bo- 
fore  the  heavenly  host ;  whenever  we  break  thy  law 
through  thoughtlessness;  have  mercy,  almighty,  have 
mercy !    _  Rirf-Verfa. 

Hymn  of  Chkatiox 

In  the  beginning  there  was  neither  naught  nor  aught; 
Tlien  there  was  neither  sky  nor  atmosphere  above. 
What  then  surrounded  all  this  teeming  universe? 
In  the  receptacle  of  what  was  it  contained? 
Was  it  enveloped  in  the  gulf  profound  of  water? 
Then  there  was  neither  death  nor  immortality ; 
Thon  theio  was  neither  day,  nor  niglit,  nor  liglit,  nor 
darkness, 

Only  the  Existent  One  breathed  calmly,  self-contained. 


THE  DIM  CENTURIES 


31 


Naught  else  but  he  there  was  —  naught  else  above,  bej'ond. 
Then  first  came  darkness  hid  in  darkness,  gloom  in 
gloom ; 

Next  all  was  water,  all  a  chaos  indiscrete, 

In  which  the  One  lay  void,  shrouded  in  nothingness. 

Then  turning  inwards,  he,  by  self-developed  force 

Of  inner  fervor  and  intense  abstraction,  grew. 

First  in  his  mind  was  formed  Desire,  the  primal  germ 

Productive,  which  the  wise,  profoundly  searching,  say 

Is  the  first  subtle  bond  connecting  Entity 

And  Nullity.  — Rig-Veda. 

How  many  births  are  past,  I  cannot  tell ; 

How  many  yet  to  come  no  man  can  say; 
But  this  alone  I  know,  and  know  full  well, 

That  pain  and  grief  embitter  all  the  way. 

—  South  India  Folk  Song. 

A  Brahman  who  holds  the  Veda  in  his  memory  is 
not  culpable  though  he  should  destroy  the  three  worlds. 
—  Code  of  Manu. 

The  PfRusHA  Hymn 

The  embodied  spirit  has  a  thousand  heads, 

A  thousand  eves,  a  thousand  feet,  around 

On  every  sid(;  enveloping  the  earth, 

Yet  filling  space  no  larger  than  a  span. 

He  is  himself  this  very  universe  ; 

He  is  whatever  is,  has  been,  and  sliall  be; 

He  is  the  lord  of  immortality. 

All  creatures  are  one-fourth  of  him,  three-foiii  ths 

Are  that  wliicli  is  immortal  in  the  sky. 

From  him,  called  Purusha,  was  born  Viraj, 

And  from  Viraj  was  Purusha  produced, 

Whom  gods  and  holy  uien  made  their  oblation. 

With  Purusiia  as  victim  they  })erf()rnied 

A  sacrifice,    ^\■h(■ll  they  divided  liini. 

How  did  they  cut  iiiui  up?    What  was  his  moutli  V 


32 


LUX  CHRISTI 


What  were  his  armsV  and  what  his  thighs  and  feet? 
The  Brahnuiii  was  liis  mouth,  the  kingly  soldier 
Was  made  his  arms,  tlie  husbandman  his  thighs, 
The  servile  Sudra  issued  from  his  feet.    — Ritj-Vrdn. 

This  hymn  (generally  admitted  to  be  a  comparatively 
modern  production)  is  the  only  hymn  in  the  Rig-Veda 
which  alludes  to  the  distinctions  of  caste. 

As  set  forth  in  the  hymn  the  divine  order  of  caste 
seems  to  bo  :  — 

1.  The  Brahman,  who  is  supposed  to  issue  from  the 
mouth  of  Brahma.  The  Brahmans  are  therefore  re- 
garded as  divinities,  whose  teaching  is  an  infallible 
authority.    Tliey  only  can  teacli  the  Veda. 

2.  Kshatriya,  or  tho  "  kingly  soldier,"  who  issues  from 
the  arms  of  Brahma.  This  caste  ranks  next  the  Brah- 
mans in  position  and  influence,  cooperating  with  them  in 
retaining  ascendency  over  the  lower  classes.  To  it  belong 
the  famous  Rajputs. 

3.  The  Vaisya,  or  husbandman  caste,  which  comes 
from  the  thighs  of  Brahma.  To  this  caste  belong  endless 
subcastes  iiccording  to  kind  of  occupation.  These  three 
ranks  claim  to  be  "  twice  born,"  and  are  all  invested  with 
the  sacred  thread,  which  is  of  cotton  for  the  Brahmans, 
hemp  for  the  Kshatriya,  wool  for  the  Vaisya. 

4.  The  Sudra,  or  servile  class,  issuing  from  tho  feet  of 
Brahma,  comprising  those  only  "once  born." 

All  below  the  Sudras  are  oulcaste,  or  Pariahs. 

The  Sudra  and  the  nnmaiTied  woman  of  any  caste, 
even  the  highest,  are  left  outside  the  pale  of  Brahmauical 
salvation. 

BuiuAi,  Hymn 
Open  thy  arms,  O  earth  !  receive  the  dead 
With  gentle  ^iressure  and  with  loving  welcome. 
Enshroud  him  tenderly,  oven  as  a  mother 
I'-olds  hor  soft  vestment  round  the  child  she  loves. 
Soul  of  tho  dead,  depart !  lake  thou  the  path  — 


TnS  DIM  CENTURIES 


33 


The  ancient  path  by  which  our  ancestors 
Have  gone  before  thee ;  thou  shalt  look  upon 
The  two  kings,  mighty  Varuna  and  Yama, 
Delighting  in  oblations;  thou  shalt  meet 
The  Fathers  and  receive  the  recompense 
Of  all  thy  stored-up  offerings  above. 
Leave  thou  thy  sin  and  imperfection  here ; 
Return  unto  thy  home  once  more ;  assume 
A  glorious  form. 

—  From  the  Sutras. 


■  Simple  Confession  of  a  Vedantist's  Faith 

All  this  universe  indeed  is  Brahma;  from  him  does 
it  proceed  ;  into  him  it  is  dissolved;  in  him  it  breathes. 
So  let  every  one  adore  him  calmly. 

—  Chandogya  Upanishad. 


Moral  Precepts 

An  archer  shoots  an  arrow  which  may  kill 
One  man,  or  none  ;  but  clever  men  discharge 
The  shaft  of  intellect,  whose  stroke  has  power 
To  overwhelm  a  king  and  all  his  kingdoms. 

—  Maha-hharata. 
Do  naught  to  others  which,  if  done  to  thee. 
Would  cause  thee  pain  ;  this  is  the  sum  of  duty.  —  lUd. 

When  men  are  ripe  for  ruin,  e'en  a  straw 

Has  power  to  crush  them  l.ke  a  thunderl)olt.  —  lUd. 

Enjoy  thou  the  prosperity  of  others, 

Altliough  thyself  unprosperous ;  noVjle  men 

Take  pleasure  in  their  neighbor's  liappincss.  —  Ibid. 

An  evil-minded  man  is  quick  to  see 

His  neighbor's  faults,  though  small  as  mustard-seed ; 

But  when  he  turns  his  eyes  toward  his  own, 

Though  large  as  Bilva  fruit,  he  none  descries.  —  Hid. 


34 


LUX  CHRISTI 


Treat  no  one  with  disdain,  with  patience  bear 
Reviling  language ;  with  an  angry  man 
Be  never  angry ;  blessings  give  for  curses. 

—  Code  of  Manu. 

The  soul  is  its  own  witness  ;  yea,  the  soul 

Itself  is  its  owu  refuge  :  grieve  thou  not, 

O  man,  thy  soul,  the  great  internal  witness.  —  Code. 

Thou  canst  not  gather  what  thou  dost  not  sow, 
As  thou  dost  plant  the  tree  so  will  it  grow.  —  Code. 

He  who  by  firmness  gains  the  mastery 

Over  his  words,  his  mind,  and  his  whole  body, 

Is  justly  called  a  triple  governor.  —  Code. 

'Tis  a  vain  thought  that  to  attain  the  end 
And  object  of  ambition  is  to  rest. 
Success  doth  only  mitigate  the  fever 
Of  anxious  expectation ;  soon  the  fear 
Of  losing  what  M'e  have,  the  constant  care 
Of  guarding  it,  doth  weary. 

—  Hindu  Drama,  Kalidasa. 

The  most  prolific  source  of  true  success 

Is  energy  without  despondency.  —  Ramnyana. 

Where'er  we  walk.  Death  marches  at  our  side ; 
Where'er  we  .sit,  Death  seats  himself  beside  us ; 
However  far  we  journey.  Death  continues 
Our  fellow-traveller,  and  goes  with  us  home.  —  fhid. 


Opinion  of  an  Expert 

After  a  life-long  study  of  the  religious  books  of  the 
Hindus  I  feel  compelled  to  express  publicly  my  opinion 
of  them.  They  begin  with  muoii  promise  amid  scintilla- 
tions of  truth  and  liglit,  aii<l  occasional  suldime  thoughts 


THE  DIM  CENTURIES 


35 


from  the  source  of  all  truth  and  light,  but  end  in  sad 
corruptions  and  lamentable  impurities.  —  Siu  iVIoxikr 
Williams. 

Tup:  Buddhist  Path  of  Salvation 

And  if  you  should  ask,  "  IIow  does  he  who  ordei'S  his 
life  aright  realize  that  Nirvana?"  I  should  reply  :  "  He,  O 
King,  who  orders  his  life  aright  grasps  the  trutli  as  to  the 
development  of  all  things,  and  when  he  is  doing  so  he 
perceives  therein  birth,  he  perceives  old  age,  he  perceives 
disease,  he  perceives  death ;  but  he  perceives  not  therein, 
whether  in  the  beginning,  or  the  middle,  or  the  end,  any- 
thing worthy  of  being  laid  hold  of  as  lasting  satisfac- 
tion. .  .  .  And  discontent  arises  in  his  mind  when  he 
thus  finds  nothing  fit  to  be  relied  on  as  a  lasting  satisfac- 
tion, and  a  fever  takes  possession  of  his  body,  and  without 
a  refuge  or  protection,  hopeless,  he  becomes  weary  of  re- 
peated lives.  .  .  .  And  in  the  mind  of  him  who  thus 
perceives  the  insecurity  of  transitory  life,  of  starting 
afresh  in  the  innumerable  births,  the  thought  arises: 
All  on  fire  is  this  endless  becoming,  burning,  and  blaz- 
ing !  Full  of  pain  is  it,  of  despair  I  If  only  one  could 
reach  a  state  in  which  tliere  were  no  becoming,  there 
would  there  be  calm,  that  would  be  sweet  —  the  cessation 
of  all  these  conditions,  the  getting  rid  of  all  these  defects 
(of  lusts,  of  evil,  and  of  Karma),  the  end  of  cravings,  the 
absence  of  passion,  peace.  Nirvana!  " 

And  therewith  does  his  mind  leap  forward  into  tliat 
state  in  which  there  is  no  becoming,  and  then  has  he 
found  peace,  then  does  he  exult  and  rejoice  at  the  thought : 
"A  refuge  have  I  gained  at  last!"  —  Uuvs  Davids' 
"  Buddhism." 

Atheism  of  Buddha 

I  do  not  see  any  one  in  the  heavenly  worlds,  .  .  . 
nor  among  gods  or  men,  whom  it  would  be  projier  for 
ine  to  lionor.  —  Buddha. 


36 


LUX  CHEISTI 


THEMES  FOR  STUDY  OK  DISCUSSION 

I.  The  Aryans  aud  the  Native  Tribes  of  India. 
II.  The  Rig- Veda. 

III.  Contrast  between  Judaism  and  Hinduism. 

IV.  The  Rivers  and  Mountains  of  India. 
V.  Pantheism  and  Polytheism. 

VI.  The  Great  Epics  of  India;  Comparison  of  these 

with  the  Iliad  and  the  Nibelungenlied. 
VII.  The  Weakness  and  Strength  of  Buddhism. 
VIII.  What  Influences  have  led  to  the  Decadence  of  the 
Hindu  People? 
IX.  Hindu  Symbols,  Gods,  and  Images. 
X.  Caste,  the  Supremacy  of  the  Brahmans,  and  the 
Transmigration  of  the  Soul,  the  Cardinal  Points 
of  Hinduism. 

XI.  The  Hindu  Triad :  Brahma,  Vishnu,  Siva,  with 

the  Incarnations  of  Vishnu. 
XTI.  Buddhist  and  Jain  Architecture. 

BOOKS  OF  REFERENCE 

For  general  reference  on  this  and  succeeding  chapters :  — 

Bliss's  "  Encyclopaulia  of  Missions." 

Reclus's  "  India  and  Indo-China,"  Vol.  Ill,  in  "  The  Earth 

and  its  Inhabitants." 
"Encyclopasdia  Britannica,"  article  "India," by  Sir  W.  W. 

Hunter,  or  its  equivalent,  "  The  Indian  Empire,"  by 

the  same  author. 
Hunter's  "  Brief  History  of  the  Indian  Peoples." 
Gracey's  "  India." 

Beach's  "  Cross  in  the  Land  of  the  Trident." 


For  special  reference  on  above  themes :  — 

Butler's  "  Land  of  the  Veda,"  II,  VIII,  IX.  X. 
Clarke's  "  Ten  Great  Religions,"  II,  III,  V,  VI,  VII,  IX, 
XI. 


THE  DIM  CENTUBIES 


37 


Rhys  Davids'  "  Buddhism,"  VII. 
Fergusson's  "  Indian  Architecture,"  XII. 
Graham's  "  Great  Temples  of  India,  Ceylon,  and  Burma," 
XII. 

Kellogg's  "  Handbook  of  Comparative  Religions,"  V,  VI, 

VII,  VIII,  XT. 
Living  Papers  Series,  "  Non-Christian  Religions  of  the 

World,"  I,  II,  V,  VII,  VITI,  IX,  X,  XI. 
Max  IMulIer's  "  Origin  of  Religion,"  II,  V. 
Max  Miiller's  "  India  and  what  it  can  teach  us,"  II. 
Max  Miiller's  "  Chips  from  a  German  Workshop,"  II,  VII. 
Ragozin's  "  Vedic  India,"  I,  II,  V,  VI,  XI. 
Reed's  "  Hindu  Literature,"  II,  V,  VI,  VIII,  IX,  XI. 
Rousselet's  "  India  and  its  Native  Princes,"  IV,  IX,  XII. 
Sir  M.  Williams's  « Indian  Wisdom,"  II,  V,  VI,  X. 
Sir  M.  Williams's  "  Religious  Thought  and  Life  in  India,"  ^ 

II,  V,  VIII,  IX,  X,  XI. 

1  A  later  edition  has  been  published  under  title  "  Brahnianism 
and  Hinduism." 


DATES  FOR  INDIA'S  POLITICAL  HISTORY 


508  B.C. .  Persian  Invasion  under  Darius. 

327  .  .  .  Greek  Invasion  under  Alexander  the  Great. 

316  .  .  .  Chandra  Gupta  founds  Behar. 

250  .  .  .  Asoka  establishes  Buddhism  as  state  religion. 

161  .  .  .  Bactrian  Invasion. 

100  B.C.  )   Scytiiian  or  Tatar  Invasions. 

700  A.D.    Earlier  religions  merged  in  Modern  Hindu- 
ism.   Parsi  settlements  in  western  India. 
1001  .  .  .    First  Invasion  of  Punjab  by  Mahmud  of 
Ghazni. 

1000-1765   Mohammedan  Invasions  and  rule  of  Islam. 

1398  .  .  .    Tamerlane  invades  India. 

1525-1857   Mughal  Empire. 

1556  .  .  .    Akbar  the  Great, 

1605  .  .  .  Jehangir, 

1627  ..  .    Shah  Jehan, 

1658-1707  Aurangzeb, 

1498  .  .  .    Portuguese  Expedition  under  Vasco  da  Gama. 

1500-1  GOO   Portuguese  Monopoly  of  Oriental  trade. 

1602  .  .  .    Dutch  East  India  Company  founded. 

1604  .  .  .    The  French  enter  India. 

1600-1857  British  East  India  Company  maintains  mili- 
tary and  commercial  power. 

1739-17(il    Afghan  Invasion  and  Sack  of  Delhi. 

1757  .  .  .  Lord  Clive's  victory  at  Plassey  establishes 
British  Empire  in  India. 

1857  .  .  .  Seiwy  Mutiny  and  Dissolution  of  East  India 
Comjiany. 

1877  .  .  .    Queen  Victoria  proclaimed  Empress  of  liulia. 


Famous  Mughal  rulers. 


CHAPTER  II 


INDIA'S  INVADERS 

For  the  gods  — 
They  smile  in  secret,  looking  over  wasted  lands, 
Blight  and  famine,  plague  and  earthquake,  roaring  deeps 

and  fiery  sands, 
Clanging  fights  and  flaming  towns,  and  sinking  ships  and 

praying  hands.  —  Tennyson. 

We  now  emerge  from  the  dusk  of  legend  and 
tradition  into  the  light  of  written  history. 

For  the  facts  of  India's  authentic  history  we 
must,  however,  turn  to  foreign  writers.  While 
from  them  we  learn  of  many  successive  invasions 
marking  many  phases  of  national  life,  we  can, 
broadly  speaking,  divide  the  whole  history  into 
three  great  eras :  the  Hindu,  the  Mohammedan, 
and  the  British. 

I.  PERSIAN  INVASION 

In  the  year  .'")08  v,a'.  Darius  Ilystaspes,  suc- 
cessor of  Cyru.s  tlie  (Ireat,  is  said  to  have  under- 
taken an  expedition  against  India.  He  caused 
a  fleet  to  be  fitted  out  upon  the  Indus,  under  the 
command  of  Scylax,  wlio  pushed  his  way  into 
the  Punjab,  and  by  his  conquests  added  an  im- 
mense revenue  to  the  Persian  treasury.  Later 
39 


40 


LUX  CHRISTI 


we  hear  of  Indian  soldiers,  clothed  in  white 
cotton,  marching  in  the  ranks  of  Xerxes'  army 
against  the  Greeks. 

II.  GREEK  INVASION 

In  327  B.C.  Alexander  the  Great  invaded 
India,  by  way  of  Afghanistan,  and  conquered 
Porus,  the  Indian  ruler  of  the  sacred  "  land  of 
the  five  rivers,"  the  famous  Punjab.  Many 
garrison  stations  founded  by  Alexander  are 
to-day  prosperous  cities,  —  as  Patala  (Hydera- 
bad in  Sind),  Taxila  (Deri-Shahan),  Alexandria 
(Uchch),  and  others.  The  Greek  Megasthenes 
has  left  glowing  record  of  the  valor  of  the  Indian 
men  and  the  chastity  of  the  women.  Near  the 
close  of  the  fourth  century  B.C.  the  native  Indian 
prince,  Chandra  Gupta,  known  to  the  (J reeks  as 
Sandracottus,  began  to  build  up  a  rival  prin- 
cipality at  Beliar,  in  the  valley  of  the  Ganges, 
while  the  Greek  supremacy  still  existed  in  the 
Punjab,  and  diffused  Greek  influences  which 
proved  to  be  of  a  lasting  cliaracter.  The  build- 
ings of  the  Indian  people  had  hitherto  been  of 
wood,  and  destitute  of  architectural  pretension. 
A  new  and  enduring  architecture  now  succeeded. 

Culmination  of  Buddhism 

In  the  year  260  B.C.  Asoka,  grandson  of 
Chandra  Gupta,  ascended  tlic  throne  of  Behar. 
He  ardently  espoused  Buddhism,  and  proclaimed 
it  as  a  state  religion.    He  caused  many  monu- 


INDIA'S  INVADERS 


41 


ments  to  be  set  up  bearing  Buddhistic  inscrip- 
tions, some  of  which,  in  the  form  of  pillars,  are 
still  to  be  found  at  Delhi,  Allahabad,  and  at 
Babra. 

Buddhism  reached  its  culmination  in  India  in 
the  seventh  century  a.d.  Its  downfall  followed 
soon. 

III.  MOHAMMEDAN  INVASION 

Passing  over  the  Bactrian  and  Scythian  in- 
vasions, which  took  place  during  the  period 
between  161  B.C.  and  500  a.d.,  we  now  come 
to  the  Mohammedan  period,  which  begins  in  664 
A.D.  with  the  first  appearance  in  the  Punjab  of 
the  armies  of  the  Crescent.  This  was  but  thirty- 
two  years  after  the  death  of  the  Prophet.  One 
Afghan  invasion  followed  another  with  little 
result  until  the  reign  of  Sultan  Mahraud,  the 
"  idol-smasher,"  whose  name  is  still  illustrious 
throughout  Asia,  although  he  was  but  tlie  mon- 
arcii  of  the  petty  kingdom  of  Ghazni.  He  led 
seventeen  raids  into  India,  finally  subduing  the 
Punjab,  which  he  annexed  to  his  own  province 
of  Ghazni,  and  which  thenceforth  became  Mo- 
hammedan. Mahmud  came  to  tlie  Mussulman 
throne  in  997  A.D.,  and  reigned  thirty-three 
years.  His  fame  among  Mohammedans  rests 
not  alone  upon  his  conquests,  but  upon  his 
greatness  as  a  champion  of  the  faith  and  as  a 
patron  of  learning.  Mohammed  of  Ghor  at  his 
death,  1206,  left  all  northern  India  under  the 
rule  of  Mohammedan  generals.    His  Indian  vice- 


42 


LtTX  CHRISTI 


roy,  Kutab-ud-din,  proclaimed  himself  sovereign 
of  India  at  Delhi,  and  founded  the  dynasty  of 
the  "  Slave  Kings,"  he  having  started  in  life  as 
a  Turki  slave.  His  fame  is  preserved  by  the 
wonderful  Kutab  Minar,  the  tapering,  sculp- 
tured shaft  on  the  plain  of  Delhi. 

The  Rajputs 

In  the  struggle  with  the  Mussulman  power  in 
eastern  India  a  valiant  part  was  played  by  the 
warrior  chiefs  of  pure  Aryan  descent  known  as 
the  Rajputs,  who,  when  conquered,  withdrew 
to  the  regions  bordering  on  the  eastern  desert  of 
the  Indus,  and  founded  the  province  of  Rajpu- 
tana,  south  of  the  Punjab.  These  proud,  he- 
reditary chiefs,  who  could  trace  their  ancestry 
unbroken  to  the  Vedic  age,  defied  the  invaders  of 
their  country  with  stubborn  courage,  but  in  vain. 

The  Mohammedan  power  grew  and  spread 
until,  about  1320,  it  was  extended  through  the 
Deccan,  and  all  India  was  practically  tributary 
to  it,  although  its  power  was  never  so  firmly 
planted  in  the  south  as  in  Hindustan.  The 
native  Hindus  yielded  reluctantly  and  slowly  to 
the  fierce  proselyting  of  their  conquerors,  and 
never  gave  more  than  a  nominal  allegiance  to 
Islam.  Indeed,  Aryan  ideas  and  customs  not 
only  resisted  Mohammedan  influence  more  suc- 
cessfully than  those  of  any  other  Asiatic  race, 
but  in  the  end  Mohannncdanism  has  become 
Hinduized  in  a  marked  degree. 


INDIA'S  INVADERS 


43 


IV.  TATAR  INVASION 

About  the  end  of  the  fourteenth  century  a 
number  of  internal  revolts  had  weakened  the 
power  of  the  Afghan  kings  of  Delhi,  and  pre- 
pared the  way  for  the  success  of  another  great 
invasion.  In  1398  Timur,  or  Tamerlane,  with  a 
wild  horde  of  Tatar  triljes,  swept  down  through 
the  northwest  passes  of  Afghanistan  across  the 
Punjab  toward  Delhi.  His  terrific,  scourge-like 
descent,  in  which  fire  and  sword  consumed  every- 
thing in  his  way,  passed,  leaving  little  perma- 
nent result.  Late  in  the  preceding  century 
large  numbers  of  Mughals  (originally  Mongols'), 
who  had  unsuccessfully  invaded  the  Punjab, 
liad  become  subject  to  the  Delhi  kings,  and 
been  converted  from  their  Tatar  rites  to  Islam. 
These  foreigners  in  India  furnished  the  founda- 
tion upon  which,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  the 
great  Mughal  Empire  was  built.  Babar,  de- 
scendant of  Tamerlane  in  the  sixth  degree,  in 
the  year  1526  repeated  his  invasion,  and  with 
the  help  of  his  followers  and  of  resident  Tatars 
established  the  Mughal  (Mogul)  Empire,  with 
its  seat  at  Agra. 

2Vte  Grand  Mughals 

The  famous  Mughal  dynasty,  which  like  those 
preceding  it  was  Mohammedan,  covered  a  pe- 
riod of  tlir(!(!  hundred  and  thirty  years,  ending 
in  1857  with  the  banishment  of  its  last  repre- 
sentative.   The  greatest  name  among  its  emper- 


44 


LtfX  CHRISTI 


oi's  is  that  of  Akbar  the  Great,  grandson  of  Babar, 
who  died  in  1605  and  is  buried  in  a  magnificent 
mausoleum  near  Agra.  Contemporary  witli  the 
reign  of  Elizabeth  of  England,  the  reign  of  this 
Indian  emperor  was  enliglitened  and  progressive 
and  offers  much  of  picturesque  interest  to  the 
student  of  history.  Shah  Jehan's  reign  was  the 
climax  of  Mughal  magnificence.  Delhi  and  Agra 
were  his  favorite  seats  ;  at  the  former  he  placed 
his  famous  peacock  tlirone ;  at  the  latter  that 
consummate  flower  of  Indian  architecture,  the 
Taj  Mahal,  the  mausoleum  of  his  favorite  wife. 
The  Taj,  which  has  been  described  as  a  dream 
in  marble,  an  edifice  designed  by  Titans  and 
finished  by  jewellers,  was  twenty-one  years  in 
building,  during  which  time  twenty  thousand 
men  were  employed  on  it.  'i'he  eyes  of  the 
architect  who  designed  it  were  put  out  by  tlie 
despotic  emperor  that  he  might  never  design 
another  which  could  equal  or  surpass  it.  It 
cost  over  eight  millions  sterling.  The  reign  of 
Aurangzcb,  son  of  Shah  Jehan,  from  1058  to 
1707,  is  the  culmination  of  Mughal  power  and 
tlie  beginning  of  its  decay.  Even  to-day,  in 
Jiritisli  India,  official  reports  are  wont  to  go 
back  to  the  time  of  Aurangzeb.  Romantic 
subjects  for  study  are  furnished  by  noted 
Mohammedan  princesses,  from  Nur  Malial,  the 
Light  of  the  Palace,  wife  of  Jehangir,  and  the 
adored  wife  and  beautiful  Christian  daughter 
of  Shah  Jehan,  down  to  the  Rani  of  Jliansi, 


INDIA'S  INVADERS 


46 


who  fought  with  matchless  valor  against  the 
British  in  the  Mutiny  of  1857,  and  died  in  battle 
at  the  head  of  her  troops. 

Among  the  great  events  which  contributed  to 
the  disintegration  of  the  Mughal  Empire  during 
the  lifetime  of  Aurangzeb  and  a  little  later, 
were  the  descent  of  the  Afghans  under  Nadir 
Shah,  their  Persian  conqueror,  in  1739  ;  the  for- 
mation of  the  Mahratta  confederacy  in  the  Dec- 
can,  and  the  uprising  of  the  Sikh  sect  in  the 
Punjab. 

Sack  of  Delhi 

Six  times  the  Afghans  swept  down  upon 
northern  India  with  fearful  massacres,  returning 
through  the  famous  Khyber  Pass  with  booty 
amounting  to  thirty-two  millions  sterling,  plun- 
dered during  a  fifty-eight  days'  sack  of  Delhi. 
The  borderland  between  Afghanistan  and  India 
was  ravaged  and  swept  bare  of  inhabitants  by 
these  bloody  and  furious  invaders. 

The  MalirattuH  and  Sikhs 

The  Mahrattas  (also  spelled  Maratha)  and 
Sikhs  remain  to-day  prime  forces  to  be  reckoned 
with  in  the  administration  of  Indian  affairs. 
The  Mahrattas  are  a  low  caste  Hindu  race 
found  in  the  region  southeast  of  Bombay.  Al- 
though rude  in  their  civilization,  they  were 
fierce  and  formidable  figliters.  At  this  period 
their  power  rose  enormously  in  the  Deccan,  and 
their  generals  carved  out  kingdoms  for  them- 


46 


LtTX  CHRISTI 


selves  from  the  decaying  empire  of  the  Mughals. 
To  this  day  the  jNIahrattas  have  not  forgotten 
the  power  they  held  a  century  ago,  and  they  have 
never  become  reconciled  to  British  dominion. 

The  Sikhs,  unlike  the  Mahrattas,  ai'e  not  a 
race,  but  a  religious  sect  bound  together  by  mil- 
itary organization  and  discipline.  The  name 
Sikh  signifies  disciple.  They  trace  their  origin 
to  Nanak  Shah,  a  Hindu  reformer  born  near 
Lahore  in  1469.  Successive  religious  teachers, 
known  as  Gurus  (equivalent  to  the  Hebrew 
Rabbi),  inculcated  Nanak's  doctrine  of  the  abo- 
lition of  caste,  the  unity  of  the  Godhead,  and 
tlie  obligation  of  living  a  pure  life.  The  ninth 
Guru  in  the  Sikh  succession  attracted  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Emperor  Aurangzeb,  who  was  him- 
self a  fanatical  Mussulman.  He  imprisoned  the 
Guru  and  tortured  him  so  cruelly  that  the  suf- 
ferer prevailed  upon  a  fellow-jjrisoner  to  put  him 
to  death.  Instead  of  checking  the  Sikh  move- 
ment, the  murder  of  the  ninth  Guru  was  the  great 
turning-point  in  the  history  of  the  sect.  Thence- 
forward the  Sikhs  became  an  organized,  compact 
legion,  sworn  to  die  fighting  in  defence  of  their 
faith.  "  From  Puritans  they  turned  to  Ironsides, 
praying  and  fighting  with  equal  fervor." 

The  Sikhs  now  number  over  two  millions, 
scattered  throughout  India,  especially  in  the 
British  army.  Their  religion  lias  degenerated 
into  a  hybrid  between  Hinduism  and  Mohiiiinne- 
danism,  with  the  Granth,  their  sacred  book,  as 


INDIA'S  INVADERS 


47 


an  idol.  Amritsar,  their  sacred  city,  is  famous 
for  the  Golden  Temple,  where  this  book  lies  on 
its  silken  cushions,  ever  surrounded  with  pros- 
trate adorers.  The  warlike  character  of  the 
Sikhs,  and  the  key-position  on  the  borders  of 
the  British  Empire  which  they  occupy,  have 
led  to  a  firm  belief  in  many  quarters  that  "  the 
fate  of  British  India  is  bound  up  with  that  of 
the  Sikhs." 

Last  of  the  Mughals 

To  return  to  the  Mugliuls  :  "  The  gigantic 
genius  of  Tamerlane,"  says  Butler,  "  and  the 
distinguished  talent  of  the  great  Akbar,  with 
the  magnificent  taste  of  Jehan,  have  thrown  a 
sort  of  splendor  over  the  crimes  and  follies  of 
the  great  Mughals."  .  .  .  Bloody  and  barbaric 
despots  were  they  at  best.  The  last  of  the 
dynasty,  Bahadur  Shah,  was  discovered  by  the 
British  in  1857,  after  the  fall  of  Delhi,  in  hiding, 
"seated  under  a  small  tattered  canopy,  his  per- 
son emaciated  by  indigence  and  infirmity,  his 
countenance  disfigured  by  the  loss  of  his  eyes, 
and  bearing  marks  of  extreme  old  age  and 
settled  melancholy." 

He  was  exiled  as  a  state  prisoner  to  Rangoon, 
and  fills  an  unknown  grave. 

The  downfall  of  the  Mughal  Empire  ended 
the  political  ])()wer  of  Islam  in  India,  but  the 
king  of  England  in  his  Indian  Empire  to-day 
rules  over  one-third  of  all  the  followers  of 
Mohammed  in  the  worhl.    Tlie  fierce  and  re- 


48 


LUX  CHRISTI 


sentful  haughtiness  of  most  Mussulmans  in 
India  shows  that  they  cling  to  the  memory 
of  their  seven  hundred  years  of  rule  in  the  land 
before  the  hated  English  came  and  overthrew 
their  power.  The  Hindus  rather  welcomed  this 
event  than  otherwise,  as  the  rule  of  the  Mo- 
hammedans had  been  bitterly  cruel  and  oppres- 
sive, and  they  had  never  amalgamated  with  the 
conquered  people. 

Islam 

A  brief  survey  of  the  religion  of  iNIohammed 
must  be  taken  at  this  point. 

Here  we  liave  to  do  with  the  most  modern 
of  all  the  religions  which  can  be  called  world 
religions,  for  the  date  of  Mohammed's  birth  is 
placed  at  570  A.d.  and  of  his  flight  to  Medina 
(the  Hegira)  at  622.  It  is  substantially  true 
that  Islam  is  little  else  than  a  spurious  form  of 
J udaism  borrowed  from  J ewish  exiles,  with  such 
moditications  as  suited  it  to  Arabia,  plus  tlie 
important  addition  of  the  prophetic  mission  of 
Mohammed,  and  the  consuming  lust  of  con- 
quest. The  Koran,  which  takes  the  place  of  tlie 
Hebrew  Old  Testament,  is  a  rather  poor  per- 
formance as  a  Bible,  rhetorical  rather  than 
poetic,  ranking  perhaps  with  the  Apocryphal 
books  of  the  Old  Testament  Canon. 

Mohammed  and  the  Koran 

Mohammed,  a  camel-driver  of  ]\Iecca,  was 
from  his  birth  a  victim  to  epilepsy  and  hysteria, 


INDIA'S  INVADERS 


49 


the  paroxysms  of  whicli  contributed  greatly  to 
his  success  in  an  age  when  such  seizures  were 
looked  upon  as  supernatural  possession.  He 
early  began  to  have  visions  of  angels,  especially 
of  Gabriel,  who  communicated  supposedly  di- 
A'ine  truth  to  him  in  a  miraculous  manner,  — 
communications  usually  accompanied  by  convul- 
sions on  the  part  of  the  Prophet.  In  this  way, 
little  by  little,  the  Koran  was  made  up,  and  it  is 
tlie  medley  which  we  might  expect. 

Dictated  from  time  to  time  b}'  Mohammed  to 
liis  disciples,  it  was  by  them  either  treasured 
ill  their  memories,  or  written  down  on  shoul- 
(l(;r-bones  of  mutton  or  on  oyster  shells,  on  bits 
of  wood  or  tablets  of  stone,  which,  being  thrown 
pell-mell  into  boxes  and  jumbled  together,  were 
never  arranged  until  after  the  Prophet's  death. 
The  one  hundred  and  fourteen  suras,  or  chap- 
ters, of  which  the  Koran  consists,  are  now 
placed  in  the  order  of  their  respective  lengths, 
—  the  longest  first,  the  shortest  last:  an  ar- 
rangement as  simple  as  it  is  illogical.  Each 
sura  begins  Avitli  the  words,  "  In  the  name  of 
the  merciful  and  compassionate  God." 

Persecuted  and  hated  by  the  ruling  tribe  in 
his  native  city,  Mecca,  there  is  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  Mohammed,  at  this  period  of  liis  life, 
was  a  sincere  thougli  morbid  fanatic.  No 
imagination  could  liave  dreamed  of  the  tremen- 
dous success  which  was  so  near  at  hand.  His 
followers  were  few  and  insignificant. 


50 


LUX  CHRISTI 


Medina 

Medina,  north  of  Mecca,  in  the  same  prov- 
ince of  Hedjaz,  chanced  to  be  at  the  time  a 
centre  of  numerous  and  powerful  Jews,  who 
were  habitually  looking  forward  to  the  coming 
of  a  prophet  like  Moses.  Mohammed,  whose 
religion  at  this  time  was  a  kind  of  modified 
Judaism,  with  its  teachings  continually  drawn 
from  the  Old  Testament  and  the  Talmud,  per- 
ceived the  fact  that  Medina  offered  a  strategic 
point  for  the  culture  of  a  new  religious  move- 
ment, which  should  appeal  to  Jews  as  founded 
upon  their  own  Scriptures,  and  non-idolatrous, 
and  at  the  same  time  make  proselytes  among 
idolaters,  as  the  Jewish  religion  could  not  do  by 
reason  of  its  exclusive  rites  of  circumcision,  etc. 

The  Hegira  and  Moslem  Conquest 

To  Medina,  therefore,  on  the  20th  of  June, 
622  A.D.,  the  prophet  betook  himself,  preceded 
secretly  by  his  disciples  in  small  parties. 

From  this  day,  the  day  of  the  Hegira,  the 
Mohammedan  era  dates. 

Success  was  sudden,  almost  miraculous;  but  as 
his  fortune  rose,  the  character  of  Mohammed  sank 
in  the  scale.  Cruelty,  passion,  and  plunder  now 
became  the  rule  of  life  with  him  and  his  followers; 
the  prophet  was  lost  in  the  merciless  military 
conqueror.  It  has  been  well  said  that  Mo- 
hamnied's  only  element  of  greatness  was  success. 

In  eighteen  years  all  Syria,  with  Jerusalem, 


INDIA'S  INVADERS 


51 


Damascus,  and  Aleppo,  had  fallen  before  the 
Mussulman,  and  Egypt  and  Persia  were  con- 
(juered.  All  Jiistory  presents  no  movement  so 
dramatic,  so  startling,  so  appalling  even,  as  the 
Saracen  uprising. 

The  followers  of  the  Prophet,  coveting  the 
death  in  battle  which  exalted  them  to  martyr- 
dom and  a  sensual  paradise,  were  fired  by  a 
fanatical  courage  which  made  their  onward 
course  for  a  time  irresistible.  In  Europe,  the 
Jirm  resistance  of  Charles  Martel,  in  732,  at 
l  ours,  turned  the  tide  back  upon  Asia.  In 
w  estern  Asia,  Islam  has  held  its  own  through 
many  centuries  ;  but  as  its  extension  is  wholly 
di'pendent  upon  militaxy  conquest,  it  has  been 
checked  where  this  has  ceased. 

It  has  been  claimed  that  the  spread  of  Mo- 
liammedanism  in  India  is  far  more  rapid  than 
that  of  Christianity ;  but,  in  point  of  fact,  its 
growth  there  is  very  slow,  as  it  only  keeps  pace 
with  the  general  increase  of  population. 

Characteristics  of  Religion  of  Mohammed 

It  can  be  said  in  favor  of  Islam  that  it  is 
a  great  advance  upon  Urahmanism  and  Buddli- 
ism,  in  that  it  holds  neither  pantheism,  poly- 
theism, atheism,  nor  idolatry  ;  that  it  is  minus 
the  unwholesome  tendencies  of  caste,  of  a  cor- 
rupt priesthood,  and  of  a  belief  in  transmigra- 
tion of  souls.  The  Mussulman  believes  in  one 
God,  even  Jehovah ;   but  his  nionotheism  is 


52 


LUX  CHRISTI 


"the  worst  form  of  monotheism  which  has  ever 
existed "  ;  and,  it  may  be  added,  his  religion 
presents  the  most  unbroken  front  to  Cliristian- 
ity  which  it  anywhere  encounters.  The  fol- 
lower of  the  Prophet  is  forbidden  tlie  use  of 
wine  and  the  practice  of  gambling,  but  polyg- 
amy and  concubinage  are  sanctioned  explicitly 
by  the  Koran,  and  his  life  as  well  as  his  reli- 
gion is  steeped  in  sensualism.  He  is  a  slave 
owner  and  a  slave  trader ;  fierce  and  cruel 
beyond  belief,  destitute  of  charity  and  good 
will  to  men,  his  prime  duty  indeed  being  to 
slay  infidels.  Fatalism  is  woven  into  the  tex- 
ture of  his  being.  "  Thus  doth  God  cause  to 
err  whom  he  pleases,  and  directeth  whom 
he  pleases,"  says  Sura,  xx.  4.  As  '■'•All  is 
Maya'''  (illusion)  is  the  watchword  of  the 
Hindu,  so  '■''Kismet'"  (it  is  fated)  is  the  watch- 
word of  the  Mussulman. 

"  As  a  social  system,"  writes  Stanley  Poole, 
"  Islam  is  a  complete  failure  ;  by  degrading 
women  it  has  degraded  each  successive  genera- 
tion of  their  childi-en  down  an  increasing  scale 
of  infamy  and  corruption  until  it  seems  almost 
impossible  to  reach  a  lower  level  of  vice." 

This  is  the  religion  which  to-day  in  India 
stands  numerically  next  to  Hinduism,  number- 
ing more  than  fiftj'-seven  million  adherents. 
There  are  those  who  pi-ophesy  that  the  twen- 
tieth century  will  witness  in  India  a  tremen- 
dous struggle  between  Islam,  Buddhism,  and 


INDIA'S  IXVABEES 


53 


Christianity  —  the  three  religions  -which  are 
striving  for  universal  supremacy,  the  only 
religions  which  are  not  racial. 

The  Parsis 

The  conquering  progress  of  Mohammedan- 
ism in  the  eighth  century  brought  about  as 
one  result  the  immigration  to  the  western 
coast  of  India  of  large  numbers  of  Persians, 
or  Parsis,  followers  of  Zoroaster,  driven  from 
their  own  land  by  the  fiery  persecution  of  the 
Mussulmans.  The  descendants  of  these  early 
colonizers  are  to  be  found  among  the  mer- 
chant-princes, bankers,  and  financial  operators 
of'  Bombay  and  all  India.  A  financial  failure 
among  them  is  felt  on  every  bourse  in  Europe. 
As  the  religion  of  Zoroaster,  although  not  an 
Indian  religion,  is  now  professed  only  by  the 
Parsis  of  India  and  their  brethren  in  Persia, 
we  must  consider  it  briefly  in  this  study. 

Starting  in  the  Vedic  period  from  the  same 
primitive  conceptions  of  divinity  peculiar  to 
the  Aryan  stock,  the  religion  of  the  Zend- 
Avesta  (the  sacred  book  of  the  Parsis)  soon 
diverged  widely  from  that  of  the  Vedas. 
Each,  however,  retains  much  in  common  with 
the  other.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  Ahu- 
ra-Mazda,  tlie  supreme  divinity  of  the  Avesta, 
was  originally  one  with  the  Varuna  of  the 
Vedas.  Indra  and  Mitra  appear  in  both  sys- 
tems.   Botli  regard  fire  as  divine,  dread  defile- 


54 


LUX  CHRISTI 


ment  from  contact  with  the  dead,  and  in  both 
the  worship  of  the  soma  juice  is  inculcated. 
There  is,  however,  despite  the  superficial  resem- 
blances, a  profound  disparity  between  Hindu- 
ism and  Zoroastrianism,  so  that  each  can  say  to 
the  other,  "Your  gods  are  my  demons."  The 
latter,  like  Buddhism,  is  an  essentially  moral 
religion  ;  but  the  method  of  Zoroaster  was  an 
eternal  battle  for  good  against  evil,  that  of 
Buddha  a  struggle  for  complete  self-effacement. 
The  Parsi  religion,  let  it  be  remembered,  is,  i 
its  essence,  the  religion  of  Cyrus  the  Great,  o 
whom  the  prophet  Isaiah  makes  Jehovah  say 
"  I  have  raised  up  one  from  the  north,  and  h 
shall  come  ;  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  shall  h 
call  upon  my  name."     It  was  the  onl)-  religio 
of  the  ancient  world  which  could  be  in  any  re 
sense  called  monotheism  ;  and  yet  it  too  resolve 
itself  into  an  indiscriminate  worship  of  natur 
forces,  and  especially  into  fire  and  sun  worship 
The  distinguishing  theory  of  the  Persian  re 
ligion  is  its  dualism;  its  belief  in  a  great  Spirit 
of  Good  and  an  equally  great  Spirit  of  Evil.  In 
the  beginning  the  Eternal,  Supreme,  and  Infi- 
nite One  produced  these  two  other  great  divine 
beings  :  the  first,  the  King  of  Light,  is  called 
Ormuzd  ;  the  second,  the  King  of  Darkness,  is 
Ah  rim  an. 

Status  of  Parsi  Women 
The  Parsi  religion  commands  the  especial 
consideration  of  women  in   the   home   as  a 


INDIA'S  INVADERS 


55 


religious  obligation.  Children  are  the  crown 
of  glory,  and  tlius  the  mother  became  in  the 
Zend-Avesta  the  "  holy,  mystic  one,"  through 
vvliom  the  past,  present,  and  future  glory  of  the 
father  was  secured.  She  was  regarded  as  the 
"goddess  of  abundance,  the  irradiator  of  hearth 
and  home." 

As  a  consequence  of  this  conception,  the  Parsi 
women  of  India  occxipy  a  much  more  honorable 
position  than  cither  their  Hindu  or  Moliam- 
medan  sisters.  They  are  refined  and  intelligent, 
and  enjoy,  indeed,  almost  as  much  freedom  and 
respect  as  do  women  in  Europe. 

The  number  of  Parsis  now  resident  in  India  is 
not  great,  probably  not  more  than  ninety  thou- 
sand, l)ut  they  form,  intellectiuilly  and  morally, 
a  distinctly  superior  class  in  the  population. 

V.    EUROPEAN  INVADERS 

Near  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century  there 
began  a  series  of  European  invasions  of  India, 
markedly  different  from  those  of  Persians, 
Tatars,  Afghans,  and  Arabians.  The  new  in- 
vaders came  ostensibly  for  peaceful  commerce 
rather  than  for  bloody  conquest,  territorial 
aggrandizement,  or  political  power.  Only  four 
hundred  years,  however,  were  required  from  the 
first  of  these  innocent  invasions  to  reduce  all 
India,  from  tlie  Himalayas  to  Cape  Comorin,  to 
the  position  of  aih'pcndency  of  the  most  remote 
of  these  European  powers,  —  a  power  whose 


56 


LUX  CHBISTI 


own  proper  territory  is  less  than  that  of  a 
single  province  of  Hindustan. 

Through  the  Middle  Ages  little  was  known 
in  Europe  concerning  India.  It  was  regarded 
as  a  mysterious  mine  of  fabulous  riches  and 
splendor.  Certain  Italian  cities,  notably  Venice, 
sustained  trade  with  the  far-famed  golden  land, 
but  it  was  dimly  known  to  Europe  at  large, 
save  as  some  adventurous  traveller  like  Marco 
Polo  returned  from  it  with  marvellous  tales. 

The  Portuguese  in  India 

When,  in  1492,  Columbus  sailed  from  Lis- 
bon, he  sailed,  not  for  the  purpose  of  discover- 
ing a  new  continent,  but  a  new  route  to  India. 
He  found  America  instead.  Five  years  later 
another  adventurous  Portuguese,  Vasco  da 
Gama,  embarked  for  India,  whose  western 
coast  he  touched  after  an  eleven  months' 
voyage.  Like  the  European  explorers  who 
followed  him,  Da  Gama  entered  India  from 
the  south,  whereas  the  military  invasions  had 
all  been  made  from  the  north. 

Landing  at  Calicut,  on  the  southeast  coast,  the 
Portuguese  found  favor  with  the  native  prince  or 
Rajah.  Returning  to  his  own  country  after  six 
months,  Da  Gama  bore  from  him  the  following 
letter  to  his  king  :  "Vasco  da  Gama,  a  nobleman 
of  thy  household,  has  visited  my  kingdom  and 
has  given  me  great  pleasui'c.  In  my  kingdom 
there  is  abundance  of  cinnamon,  cloves,  ginger, 


INDIA'S  INVADERS 


57 


pepper,  and  precious  stones.  What  I  seek  from 
thy  country  is  gold,  silver,  coral,  and  scarlet." 

For  exactly  a  century,  from  1500  to  1600,  the 
Portuguese  held  a  monopoly  of  Oriental  trade, 
with  their  seat  of  power  at  Goa. 

The  Dutch  in  India 

The  defeat  of  the  Spanish  Armada  in  1588,  by 
which  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese  were  driven 
off  the  seas,  changed  the  current  of  events,  and 
the  Dutch  and  English  soon  appeared  in  East- 
ern waters  to  compete  for  the  prizes  of  Indian 
commerce.  The  Portuguese  were  rapidly 
driven  off  the  field  and  expelled  from  all  their 
Indian  territory  save  an  area  of  one  thousand 
square  miles  on  the  west  coast.  Successive 
private  expeditions  were  made  from  Holland  to 
India  in  the  latter  years  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
and  in  1602  all  these  interests  were  merged  in 
the  "Dutch  East  India  Company."  This  was 
the  heyday  of  Dutch  maritime  supremacy.  At 
about  the  date,  1619,  when  they  laid  the  foun- 
dation of  the  city  of  liatavia  in  Java,  the  seat 
of  their  government  in  the  East  Indies,  the 
Dutch  had  discovered  the  coast  of  Australia 
and  Avere  founding  in  Nortli  America  the  city 
of  Manhattan,  now  New  York. 
,  Tlie  Dutch  remained  powerful  in  India  until 
about  1800,  when  England  won  away  all  their 
colonies,  even  Java,  which  has  since  been 
restored,  and  Holland  now  controls  no  territory 
on  the  mainland  of  India. 


58 


LUX  CHRISTI 


The  French  in  India 
France  also  was  represented.  As  early  as 
1604  French  companies  had  been  formed  and 
ships  sent  out  to  engage  in  traffic  with  India, 
but  it  was  not  until  1664  that  Colbert,  successor 
to  the  great  Mazarin,  succeeded  in  a  scheme  for 
enriching  France  b}'  fostering  her  Oriental 
commerce.  A  great  capitalized  company  was 
formed,  and  an  adventurer  named  Cason  was  de- 
spatched to  India  as  director-general  of  French 
commerce.  He  succeeded  in  getting  a  tempo- 
rary foothold  in  southern  India  and  Ceylon. 

The  British  in  India 

It  was  in  the  year  1600  that  England  stretched 
out  a  strong  hand  to  grasp  her  share  of  the  riches 
of  India,  and  completed  the  circle  of  hungry 
European  invaders,  who,  for  a  century,  hovered 
around  the  great  passive  Indian  peninsula,  like 
rapacious  birds  of  prey  around  some  prone  and 
helpless  giant.  i\Iore  restrained,  better  civil- 
ized, more  humane  than  the  Tatar  tribes  and  the 
hosts  of  Islam,  the  European  invaders  came  to 
India  with  motives  no  less  selfish  and  mercenary, 
for  loveless  trade  is  "only  war  grown  miscrl}-."' 

Great  Britain  owes  her  imperial  crown  of 
India  in  the  last  analysis  to  a  rise  in  the  price 
of  black  pepper  in  the  year  ir)99.  The  Dutch, 
wlio  preceded  the  English  in  the  spice  traffic 
with  India  by  some  years,  formed  a  monopoly 
on  black  pepper  in  the  year  mentioned,  and 


INDIA'S  INVADERS 


59 


raised  the  price  per  pound  from  three  English 
shillings  to  eight. 

Origin  of  the  East  India  Company 

"  This  was  too  much  for  the  Lord  Mayor  and 
merchants  of  London,  who  resolved  to  form  an 
association  of  their  own  for  direct  trade  with 
India,  and  induced  Queen  Elizabeth  to  send  Sir 
John  Mildenhall  to  India  by  way  of  Constanti- 
nople to  the  Mughal,  Akbar  the  Great,  to  secure 
2)iivileges  for  the  new  company.  On  the  last 
day  of  the  year  1600,  in  the  forty-third  year 
of  her  reign,  Queen  Elizabeth  signed  the  first 
charter  creating  'One  Body  Corporate  and 
i'olitick  in  Deed  and  in  Name,  by  the  name  of 
the  Governor  and  Company  of  Merchants  of 
London  trading  with  the  East  Indies.' " 

The  new  East  India  Company's  charter  pro- 
vided only  "  that  they  at  their  own  Adventures, 
Costs,  and  Charges,  as  well  for  the  Honor  of  this 
our  Realm  of  England  as  for  the  increase  of  our 
Navigation  and  Advancement  of  Trade  of  Mer- 
chandize with  our  said  Realms  and  tlie  Domin- 
ions of  the  same,  might  adventure  to  set  forth 
one  or  more  Voyages  ...  in  the  Countries  and 
Parts  of  Ania  and  Africa  ...  to  the  benefit  of 
our  Commonwealth." 

"  A  circumstance  most  fiattering  to  the  medi- 
cal profession,"  said  Sir  Henry  Halford  many 
years  after,  is  tlie  establishment  of  the  East 
India  Company's  power  on  the  coast  of  Coro- 


60 


LUX  CHRISTI 


1 


mandel,  procured  from  the  Great  Mogul  (Shah 
Jehan)  in  gratitude  for  the  official  help  of  Dr. 
Gabriel  Boughton  in  a  case  of  great  distress. 
It  seems  that  in  the  year  1636  one  of  the  prin- 
cesses of  the  imperial  family  had  been  dreadfully 
burnt,  and  a  messenger  was  sent  to  Surat  to 
desire  the  assistance  of  one  of  the  English  sur- 
geons there,  when  Boughton  proceeded  forth- 
with to  Delhi,  and  performed  the  cure.  On  the 
minister  of  the  Great  Mogul  asking  him  what 
his  master  could  do  for  him  to  manifest  his 
gratitude  for  so  important  a  service,  Boughton 
answered,  with  a  disinterestedness,  a  generosity, 
and  a  patriotism  beyond  all  praise,  '  Let  my 
nation  trade  with  yours.'  'Be  it  so,'  was  the 
reply.  A  portion  of  the  coast  was  marked  out 
for  the  resort  of  English  ships,  and  all  duties 
were  compromised  for  a  small  sum  of  money." 

From  this  as  a  beginning  dates  the  famous 
career  of  the  Old  English  Company.  In  the 
next  twelve  years  twelve  voyages  were  under- 
taken, and  the  envoy  of  the  company  was 
graciously  received  at  the  court  of  the  Great 
Mughal.  Soon  after  important  factories  were 
established  at  Surat,  Masulipatam,  and  Hugli. 
Surat  became  the  seat  of  the  western  presi- 
dency and  remained  so  until  1684,  when  this 
was  transferred  to  Bombay.  Bombay  was 
ceded  to  the  British  crown  as  a  part  of  the 
dower  of  the  Portuguese  princess,  Catherine 
of  Braganza,  in  1661.     The  site  of  Calcutta 


INDIA'S  INVADERS 


61 


(^Kalkatta,  named  for  a  slirine  of  Kali)  was 
acquired  by  purchase  in  1695. 

Holland  and  Portugal  were  soon  crippled  and 
outclassed  by  the  English  in  the  race.  Mean- 
while the  Mughal  Empire  was  falling  to  pieces, 
under  puppet  kings,  successors  to  Aurangzeb, 
while  the  Afghans  ravaged  it  from  the  north, 
and  on  one  side  the  Mahratta  power  and  on  the 
other  the  Sikhs  were  closing  in  upon  it.  There 
was  small  chance  to  notice  the  insignificant 
English  traders  who  were  quietly  establishing 
themselves  in  their  three  ports,  —  Madras,  Bom- 
bay, and  Calcutta.  The  French,  meanwhile, 
held  Pondicherry  and  adjacent  territory  in  the 
Carnatic. 

In  1693  the  Old  English  Company  had  lost 
its  charter,  and  in  1702  a  new  company  had 
been  formed  known  as  "  The  Honorable  East 
India  Company." 

The  French  and  English  remained  for  a  gener- 
ation trading  side  by  side  in  south  India,  both 
paying  rent  to  the  Great  Mughal.  On  the  death 
of  Aurangzeb,  in  1707,  the  whole  of  south  India 
had  become  independent  of  Delhi,  and  numerous 
semi-independent  native  states  were  formed. 
Tlie  Mahrattas,  with  Poona  as  capital  and  resi- 
dence of  the  Peshwa,  were  the  dominant  power. 

Olive  and  Dupleix 

In  1744  war  broke  out  between  the  English 
and  French  in  Europe.    The  governor  of  Pon- 


62 


LUX  CHRISTI 


dicherry,  Dupleix,  had  a  secret  ambition  to 
found  a  vast  French  empire  in  India.  His 
English  rival,  Clive,  was  a  young  writer  in 
Madras.  They  took  up  the  cause  of  their 
respective  nations.  Hostilities  between  tlie 
French  and  English  in  south  India  therefore, 
in  which  each  was  supported  by  different  states, 
continued  from  1746  to  1761,  when  Pondicherry 
capitulated  and  the  French  were  victoriously 
driven  out.  This,  it  will  be  observed,  was  the 
time  when  all  the  northern  lands  of  the  old 
Mughal  Empire  lay  bleeding  under  the  scourge 
of  the  Afghan  invasions. 

The  Black  Hole  of  Calcutta 

Meanwhile  Clive  had  gone  to  England,  where 
he  had  been  made  a  lieutenant-colonel  in  the 
British  army  and  governor  of  Madras.  Re- 
turning to  India,  he  landed  on  the  20th  of 
June,  1756.  This  was  the  day  of  the  horrible 
tragedy  of  the  Black  Hole  of  Calcutta,  in  which 
one  hundred  and  twent3'^-three  English  men 
and  women,  taken  prisoners  in  an  attack  on 
Fort  William  by  the  native  Bengal  prince,  died 
in  a  single  night,  locked  into  a  stifling  garrison 
prison  eighteen  feet  square. 

Clive,  in  Madras,  upon  learning  of  this  horror, 
sailed  promptly  to  the  mouth  of  the  Ganges, 
recovered  Calcutta  from  the  natives,  and  peace 
might  have  been  established  had  not  the  English 
general,  in  defiance  of  the  neutrality  of  Bengal, 


IXDIA\S  INVADERS 


63 


seized  just  at  this  time  upon  a  French  settle- 
ment. The  Bengal  government  offered  battle, 
;iud  Clive  marched  out  to  the  grove  of  Plassey, 
seventy  miles  north  of  Calcutta,  and  won  a 
L;reat  victory  which  siiddenly  threw  the  over- 
lordship  of  the  rich  and  important  province  of 
Bengal  into  English  hands.  Thus  it  came  about 
that  "the  daring  of  a  merchant  clerk  made  a 
company  of  English  traders  the  sovereigns  of 
Bengal,  and  opened  that  wondrous  career  of 
conquest  which  has  added  the  Indian  peninsula, 
from  Ceylon  to  the  Himalayas,  to  the  dominions 
of  the  British  crown." 


VI.    THE  BRITISH  EMPIRE  IN  INDIA 

The  battle  of  Plassey  was  fought  on  June  23, 
1757,  a  date  which  has  been  adopted  b}'  history 
as  the  beginning  of  the  British  Empire.  By 
this  it  is  not  meant  that  on  this  day  all  India 
fell  under  British  rule,  for  not  even  of  the 
province  of  Bengal  would  this  have  been  true. 
The  battle  of  Plassey  does,  however,  mark  the 
point  when  the  British  knew  themselves  to  be 
in  India  for  concjuest  as  well  as  for  commerce, 
for  empire  not  merely  for  trath;.  Their  su- 
premacy, in  India  rests  upon  tht!  same  basis  as 
that  of  the  Moslems  and  the  Muglials,  although 
its  results  are  far  more  bcucliciMit,  viz.,  the 
right  of  conquest,  and  as  sucli  is  frankly 
entered  in  all  olhcial  statistics. 


64 


LUX  CHRISTI 


Policy  of  the  East  India  Company 

Unlike  the  followers  of  Mohammed,  however, 
who  nominally  subjugated  India  in  the  name  of 
the  one  true  God  and  to  spread  their  religion 
Englishmen  at  this  time  explicitly  forswore  all 
religious  motives  or  proselyting  purposes.  Up 
to  the  time  of  Clive,  the  East  India  Company 
had  tolerated  and  befriended  Christian  mis 
sionaries.    Afterward,  as  it  grew  in  power  and 
the  dream  of  empire  loomed  large,  its  repre 
sentatives  adopted  the  policy  of  forcibly  keep 
ing  Christian  missionaries  out  of  the  land  and 
encouraging  the   native   idolatries.  Englis 
soldiers  were  even  obliged  at  times  to  make 
a  show  of  reverence  before  especially  sacred 
heathen  shrines. 

Clive  and  Warren  Hastings,  at  least,  v/ere  de- 
liberate conquerors,  and  theirs  was  no  acciden- 
tal policy  when  they  laid  the  foundations  of 
England's  supremacy  amid  the  chaotic  ruins 
of  the  last  Mughal's  empire.  They  builded  no 
better  than  they  knew.  Lord  Wellesley  (1798- 
1805)  firmly  laid  down  the  unchangeable  pur- 
pose of  England  to  hold  complete  supremacy  in 
the  peninsula,  which  has  inspired  all  later  policy. 
Circumstances  conspired  to  make  the  work  an 
easy  one.  To  a  great  extent  the  English  caused 
the  native  factions  to  do  their  fighting  for  them, 
pitting  one  against  another,  and  cleverly  turn- 
ing the  result  to  their  own  advantage. 


INDIA'S  INVADERS 


65 


Progress  of  Subjugation 

"  The  British  Avon  India,"  says  Sir  William 
Hunter,  "not  from  the  jNIughals,  but  from  the 
Hindus.  Before  we  appeared  as  conquerors, 
the  Mughal  Empire  had  broken  up.  Our  final 
wars  were  neither  with  the  Delhi  king  nor  with 
his  revolted  governors,  but  with  the  two  Hindu 
confederacies,  the  Marhattas  and.  the  Sikhs.  Our 
last  Marhatta  war  dates  as  late  as  1818,  and  the 
Sikh  confederation  was  overcome  only  in  1848." 

This  is  a  condensed  summary  of  the  long 
wars  which  followed  Plassey.  One  governor- 
general  succeeded,  another,  each  adding  territory 
or  strengthening  the  British  government  in  its 
foothold.  It  was  not  until  1828,  when  Lord 
Bentinck  came  into  office,  that  the  nobler  con- 
ception of  a  government /or  the  good  of  the  gov- 
erned can  be  said  to  have  really  gained  ground. 
Lord  Bentinck's  statue  at  Calcutta  bears  an 
inscription  from  the  pen  of  Lord  Macaulay, 
setting  forth  the  unselfish  benevolence  of  his 
rule.  He  suppressed  suttee  (the  burning  of 
widows  on  the  funeral  pyres  of  their  husbands) 
and  stamped  out  the  horrible  practices  of  the 
thugs.  (These  were  hereditary  assassins,  who 
made  strangling  their  profession,  travelling  in 
bands,  disguised  as  merchants  or  pilgrims,  and 
were  sworn  together  by  an  oath  based  on  the 
rites  of  the  bloody  goddess,  Kali,  of  whom  they, 
were  devotees.) 


66 


LUX  CHRISTI 


The  Punjab  was  annexed  in  1849  and  Burma 
in  1852  by  Lord  Dalhousie,  after  long  and 
tedious  wars  running  back  to  182(J,  when 
Assam,  which  had  been  seized  by  the  Burman 
king,  was  ceded  to  the  British  and  became  a 
state  of  India.  Lord  Dalhousie  completed  the 
fabric  of  British  rule  in  India,  finally  adding 
Oudh  and  Central  Provinces,  besides  many 
minor  states,  before  his  retirement  in  18oG. 

Lord  Dalhousie  was  succeeded  b}^  Lord  Can- 
ning, later  known,  to  his  honor,  as  "  Clemency  " 
Canning.  At  a  banquet  given  the  latter  in 
London  just  before  he  sailed,  he  uttered  these 
prophetic  words :  "  I  wish  for  a  peaceful  term 
of  office.  But  I  cannot  forget  that  in  the  sky 
of  India,  serene  as  it  is,  a  small  cloud  may  arise, 
no  larger  than  a  man's  hand,  but  which,  grow- 
ing larger  and  larger,  may  at  last  threaten  to 
burst  and  overwhelm  us  with  ruin." 

The  Sepoy  Mutiny 

Within  the  year  the  great  mutiny  of  the 
Sepoys,  in  which  Moliammedan  and  Hindu 
alike  engaged,  occurred,  and  the  whole  Ganges 
valley  rose  in  rebellion  against  the  English. 
The  thrilling  storj-  of  this  awful  rebellion, 
occui'ring  precisely  a  century  after  the  battle 
of  Plassey,  and  nearly  contemporaneously  with 
our  own  War  of  Secession,  cannot  be  recounted 
here.  It  began  at  Meerut,  May  10,  1857,  and 
a  summer  of  horrors  followed.     It  centred 


INDIA'S  INVADERS 


67 


around  the  cities  of  Cawnpore,  Liickuow,  and 
Delhi,  and  its  most  dramatic  scenes,  famous  in 
song  and  story,  are  connected  with  the  heroism 
of  John  Nicholson,  Havelock  and  his  "  Saints," 
the  Fall  of  Delhi,  the  Relief  of  Lucknow  after 
eighty-five  days  of  siege,  and  Jessie  Brown's 
never-to-be-forgotten  cry,  "  Dinna  ye  hear  the 
slogan  ?  "  The  civilized  world  still  shudders 
at  "  the  awful  silence  of  Cawnpore,"  when,  after 
eleven  days  of  hard  fighting,  Havelock  entered 
the  city  and  found  not  one  of  his  countrymen 
left  to  receive  him.  Two  days  earlier,  Julj-  15, 
every  English  man,  woman,  and  child,  nine 
hundred  in  all,  had  been  slaughtered,  and  two 
hundred  of  them  hurled,  whether  dead  or  still 
alive,  into  a  well.  The  war  which  followed 
this  awful  opening  dragged  on  for  many  months 
longer,  before  the  ^lutiny  was  wholly  quelled. 
To-day,  in  Cawnpore,  a  garden  of  roses  blooms 
on  the  spot  where  that  awful  house  of  death 
stood,  and  over  the  covered  v/ell  stands  in  white 
marble  the  form  of  the  angel  of  peace. 

Causes  of  the  Mutiny 

Precisely  what  led  to  the  great  Mutiny  will 
perhaps  never  be  determined.  Wise  men  differ. 
Said  Lord  Lawrence,  "  I  believe  that  what  more 
tended  to  stir  up  the  Indian  Mutiny  than  any 
one  thing  was  the  habitual  cowardice  of  Great 
Britain  as  to  her  own  religion."  Others  attrib- 
uted it  to  the  inherent  disparity  between  the 


68 


LUX  CURISTI 


white  man  and  the  Oriental,  which  causes  an 
inevitable  distrust.  Deep  below  the  surface, 
doubtless,  was  the  smouldering,  inevitable 
resentment  of  the  conquered  toward  the 
conquerors,  and  the  inborn  dread  of  dena- 
tionalization. On  the  surface  was  the  alarm 
caused  in  the  native  mind  by  the  rapid  multi- 
plication of  telegraph  wires  and  steam  engines, 
and  other  tokens  of  a  foreign  civilization.  Last 
of  all,  as  the  fuse  which  fires  the  mine,  was  a 
rumor  running  like  wildfire  through  the  Bengal 
army  that  the  cartridges  of  a  new  set  dealt  out 
to  them  were  greased  with  the  fat  of  cows,  the 
animal  sacred  to  the  Hindu,  and  with  the  fat  of 
swine,  the  animal  unclean  alike  to  Hindu  and 
Mohammedan.  Did  not  this  mean  that  their 
most  sacred  scruples  were  to  be  trampled  upon  ? 
their  caste  broken  ? 

Perhaps,  as  we  read  the  story  of  the  Sepoy 
Rebellion,  we  find  it  less  surprising  that  such 
an  event  happened  once  than  that  it  has  not 
happened  many  times,  with  a  population  of 
two  hundred  and  eighty-seven  millions,  and 
a  standing  army  of  but  two  hundred  and 
thirty  thousand,  more  than  two-thirds  of  which 
are  composed  of  natives. 

Consequences  of  the  Mutiny 

The  Mutiny  led  to  the  dissolution  of  the  East 
India  Company  and  the  transfer  of  the  adminis- 
tration of  Indian  affairs  to  the  British  crown. 


INDIA'S  INVADERS 


69 


On  November  1,  1858,  at  a  great  darhar  (court 
reception)  held  at  Allahabad,  Lord  Canning 
gave  the  Royal  Proclamation,  which  announced 
that  the  Queen  of  England  had  herself  assumed 
the  government  of  India.  Nineteen  years  later, 
in  January,  1877,  with  all  the  scenic  effect  of 
Oriental  display  and  theatrical  magnificence, 
at  the  ancient  Mughal  capital,  Delhi,  Queen 
Victoria  was  proclaimed  Empress  of  India. 

Thus  has  culminated  the  latest  invasion  of 
India,  begun  in  1600  for  commerce,  continued 
fur  conquest,  resulting,  let  us  hope,  in  the  twen- 
ti(;th  century  in  a  stable,  enlightened,  and  Chris- 
tian commonwealth  for  the  conquered  people. 

Character  of  British  Rule 

The  British  government  has  proceeded  on  the 
basis  that  it  cannot  introduce  Christianity,  but 
must  rely  on  secular  education  and  the  arts  and 
industries  of  the  western  world  for  the  regen- 
eration of  the  Indian  peoples,  thus  seeking  to 
form  a  new  nation  with  a  Christian  civiliza- 
tion built  up  on  a  heathen  foundation.  The 
annual  grants  of  the  East  India  Company  to 
leathen  temi)]es  in  some  cases  are  still  con- 
linued  under  government  guarantee.  To  many 
;houghtf ul  minds  Great  Britain  is  trying  a  dan- 
^rous  experiment  —  a  policy  freighted  with 
wril ;  a  system,  one  has  said,  wliich  "  carries 
irith  it  its  own  nemesis." 

The  character  of  British  rule  in  India  has. 


70 


LUX  CHRISTI 


however,  been  ennobled  by  the  names  of  many 
enlightened  Christian  statesmen  from  the  days 
of  Lord  Beutinck  down  to  the  present  time. 
Lord  Dalhousie,  although  forced  by  the  exi- 
gencies of  the  time  (1848-1856)  to  embark  on 
a  policy  of  annexation  and  to  enter  on  wars 
with  the  Sikhs  and  the  Burmese,  was  a  high- 
minded  statesman,  a  niau  of  sensitive  conscience, 
and  a  lover  of  peace.  His  deepest  interest  lay 
in  the  advancement  of  the  moral  and  material 
welfare  of  India.  No  branch  of  administration 
escaped  his  reforming  hand.  Sir  John  Law- 
rence's name  will  be  held  in  everlasting  re- 
membrance in  the  Punjab  for  his  noble 
measures  to  relieve  the  famine  sufferers  in 
1866-1869.  He  embodied  what  the  natives  of 
India  most  fear  and  most  respect,  —  power, 
courage,  kindness,  and  inexorable  justice.  He 
first  laid  down  the  principle  that  the  officers  of 
the  government  should  be  held  personally  re- 
sponsible for  taking  every  means  to  avoid  deatli 
by  starvation.  Other  illustrious  names  might 
be  cited  of  those  who  kept  steadily  in  view  the 
theory  that  government  was  "for  the  good  of 
the  governed." 

British  India 
As  now  constituted  British  India  consists  of 
the  following  twelve  provinces  :  Bengal,  Assam, 
Ajmere,  North  West  Provinces,  Oudh,  Pun- 
jab, Central  Provinces,  Berar,  Bombay,  Coorg, 
Burma,  Madras.    Besides  these  which  are  di- 


IXDIA'S  IXVADERS 


71 


rectly  under  British  rule  there  are  several  hun- 
dred "  feudatory  states which  are  ruled  under 
British  government  by  their  own  hereditary 
princes.  Of  these  the  largest  are  Haidarabad. 
better  knoAra  as  the  Nizam's  Dominions,"  and 
Rajputana,  each  with  a  population  of  nearly 
t  .s  elve  millions. 

The  government  of  the  Indian  Empire  is  pri- 
marily in  the  hands  of  a  secretary  of  state,  but 

I  it  is  administered  by  a  governor-general,  or,  as 
he  is  now  more  commonly  called,  a  viceroy, 

I  appointed  by  the  British  crown  and  assisted 
by  a  council  or  cabinet  of  six  members.  The 
usual  term  of  office  for  the  viceroy  and  his 
cabinet  is  five  years. 

The  supreme  government  has  its  official  seat 
in  Calcutta ;  but  early  in  April  it  is  customary 
for  the  viceroy  and  his  cabinet  to  remove  to 
Simla,  the  famous  resort  in  the  spurs  of  the 
Eiimalayas,  for  the  hot  season,  that  is,  until  late 
Eiutumn. 

Under  the  viceroy  ai-e  governors,  as  of  ^la- 
iras,  Calcutta,  and  Bombay ;  lieutenant-gov- 
srnors,  as  of  Burma,  Bengal,  and  the  Punjab, 
md  another  class  of  subordinate  rulers  called 
jhief  commissioners,  as  of  Assam.  Below  these 
ire  a  large  number  of  collectors,  deputies,  magis- 
irates,  and  minor  administrative  officials.  The 
init  of  administration  is  the  District,  the  whole 
lumber  of  which  in  British  India  is  about  240, 
varying  greatly  in  size  and  in  iiuiiiber  of  inhab- 


n 


LUX  CHPJ^TI 


itants.  The  average  area  of  a  district  is  3778 
square  miles ;  the  average  population  802,927 
souls.  Civil  law  is  administered  with  marked 
justice.  The  final  appeal  is  to  the  privy  council 
of  England.  The  district  officer  is  "the  back- 
bone of  administrative  India." 

The  total  population  of  British  India  by  the 
latest  census  is  288,000,000. 

The  present  viceroy  is  Lord  Curzon,  whose 
term  began  in  1899.  Lady  Curzon  is  an  American 
woman,  formerly  Miss  Mary  Leiter  of  Chicago. 

To  sum  up  in  the  sententious  language  of 
Robert  E.  Speer :  "  India  was  not  a  nation. 
Therefore  Great  Britain  conquered  it  and  has 
held  it.  Great  Britain  is  making  it  a  nation. 
What  will  be  the  result?  " 


India's  invaders 


73 


ILLUSTRATIVE  SELECTIONS 

Passage  from  the  Proclamation  of  the  Queen  of 
England,  July,  1858.  Sometimes  called  the 
"  Magna  Charta  of  Indian  Liberties." 

We  hold  ourselves  bound  to  tlie  natives  of  our  Indian 
t  '  rritories  by  the  same  oblij^at  iuns  of  duty  which  bind 
ii>  to  all  other  subjects;  and  those  obligatioas,  by  the 
lili 'ssing  of  Ahnighty  God,  we  shall  faithfully  and  con- 
scientiously fulfil.  Firmly  relying  ourselves  on  the  truth 
of  Christianity,  and  acknowledging  with  gratitude  the 

'  ice  of  religion,  we  disclaim  alike  the  right  and  the 
ire  to  impose  our  convictions  on  any  of  our  subjects. 
U  (■  declare  it  to  be  our  royal  will  and  pleasure  that  none 
li '  in  any  wise  favored,  none  molested  or  disquieted,  by 
11  ason  of  their  religious  faith  or  observances;  but  that 
all  shall  alike  enjoy  the  equal  and  impartial  protection 
of  the  law  ;  and  we  do  .strictly  cliarge  and  enjoin  all  those 
w  ho  may  be  in  authority  under  us,  that  they  abstain  from 
all  interference  with  the  religious  belief  or  worship  of 
aijy  of  our  subjects,  on  pain  of  our  highest  displeasure. 


Of  the  Mutiny  it  is  truly  said  that  it  divides  all 
Anglo-Indian  history  into  two  parts.  Understand  the 
Mutiny,  and  you  understand  India.  .  .  .  The  East  India 
Company  had  been  sowing  the  wind  ;  it  was  now  to  reap 
the  whirlwind.  It  had  leagued  itself  with  idolatry;  out 
of  this  unholy  alliance  came  its  death . 

—  Edward  A.  Lawrence. 


Flashlights  on  the  Country 

If  one  could  look  down  u])on  India  from  a  balloon, 
one  would  .see  that  it  was  more  or  less  divided  into  three 
regions.    The  first  is  the  Himalayas,  the  second  is  the 


74 


LUX  CBIilSTI 


plains  of  Hindustan,  the  third  is  the  Deccan,  a  great 
three-sided  tableland  which  covers  the  southern  half  of 
India.  It  slopes  upward  from  the  plains,  and  its  north- 
ern wall  and  buttresses  (the  Vindhya  Mountains)  stood 
in  former  times  as  a  vast  barrier  of  mountain  and  jungle 
between  northern  and  southern  India,  greatly  increasing 
the  difficulty  of  welding  the  wliole  into  one  empire,  until 
at  length  pierced  by  road  and  rail.  The  eastern  and 
western  sides  of  the  Deccan  are  knoM  n  as  Ghats.  In  the 
Bombay  presidency  the  Ghats  rise  in  magnificent  preci- 
pices and  headlands  almost  out  of  the  ocean,  and  trulj' 
look  like  colossal  landing  stairs  from  the  sea.  Tlie  east- 
ern and  western  Ghats  meet  at  an  angle  near  Cape 
Comorin  at  the  southern  extremity,  and  so  complete  the 
sides  of  the  tableland.  —  Isabel  Savory. 

The  front  door  of  India,  Bombay,  is  magnificent; 
the  back  door,  the  Khyber  Pass,  is  shabby.  Out  of  the 
rose  hedges  of  Peshawar  a  dust-yeUow  road  carries  you 
through  a  dust-gray  plain,  heading  for  dust-drab  moun- 
tains. India  seems  worn  out,  giving  up  the  weary  effort 
to  be  soil,  reverting  limply  to  rock,  sand,  mud. 

A  new  India  —  the  Deccan.  Uneven,  colorless  table- 
land, undecided  shapes  of  colorless  mountains,  gemmed 
here  and  there  with  dazzling  green  and  scarlet  —  that  is 
the  type  of  tlie  whole  vast  triangle. 

Haidarabad  —  not  so  much  a  city  as  a  m.asque  of 
mediaeval  A.sia.  Everywhere  I  breathed  Islam  and  the 
Middle  Ages.  Think  of  the  sheer  joy  of  riding  on  an 
elephant  through  the  streets  of  a  city  where  they  still 
maintain  a  royal  regiment  of  Amazons. 

—  (r.  W.  Steevkns. 

The  white  dust  in  the  highways  and  the  stenches  in 
the  byways  are  a  very  present  evil ;  with  tlie  flies,  mos- 
quitoes, weary  heat,  and  endless  glare,  they  swell  the  items 
in  the  long  bill  which  the  wliite  man  pays  for  serving 
his  grim  stepmotlier  country.  —  Isaiiki.  Savchjy. 


INDIA'S  INVABERH 


75 


Bombay  is  half  Oriental,  half  Occidental.  It  has  the 
rush  of  Chicago,  the  fashion  of  Paris,  and  the  cosmopoli- 
tanism of  London.  —  II.  C.  .Mabie. 

Stand  on  the  Hughli  bridge  at  Calcutta  at  sunset,  on 
the  east  side  the  factory  smoke  lying  in  a  sullen  bank 
under  the  glowing  scarlet ;  on  the  west,  the  corn-field  of 
masts,  and  the  funnel  smoke  and  the  city  smoke  foul- 
ing the  ineffable  stillness  of  Indian  evening,  and  the 
liengalis  crossing  the  bridge.  On  one  side  going  into 
(  alcutta,  on  the  other  coming  out,  an  endless  drove  of 
iiKjving,  white-clothed  people,  never  varying  in  thickness, 
iii  ver  varying  in  pace,  never  stopping,  no  interval,  just 
moving,  moving  like  an  endless  belt  running  ou  a  wheel. 
Just  population — that  is  Bengal. 

Madras!  At  last  here  is  the  India  that  was  expected — 
the  India  of  our  childhood  and  of  our  dreams.  The  air 
is  moist,  the  sky  intensely  blue.  You  drive  on  broad 
roads  of  red  sand,  through  colonnades  of  red-berried 
banyans  and  thick  groves  of  dipping  palms,  by  pools  and 
streams  of  soft  gi'een  water.  And  the  people  are  just  as 
you  have  always  seen  them  in  your  mind  —  naked  above 
the  loins,  petticoated  below,  any  color  from  ochre  to 
umber  .  .  .  lithe  little  coolies  in  loin-cloths,  they  pass 
by  in  a  perpetual  panorama  of  popular  India  —  the  India 
you  knew  before  you  came.  I  am  convinced  that  Little 
Henry's  Bearer  was  a  Madrasi. 

India  is  amazing  and  stupefying  at  the  first  glance, 
and  amazing  and  stupefying  it  remains  to  the  last.  .  .  . 
It  strikes  you  as  very,  very  old  —  burned  out,  sapless, 
tired.  Its  people  for  the  most  part  are  small,  languid, 
effeminate.  .  .  .  Everywhere  the  .same  grotesque  con- 
tradictions—  si)lendor  and  squalor,  divinity  and  dirt, 
super.stition  and  manliness.  The  \vcst<nn  mind  can 
make  nothing  of  it,  cannot  bring  it  into  focus.  You 


76 


LUX  CHRISTI 


simply  hold  your  head,  and  say  that  this  is  the  East,  and 
you  are  of  the  West. 

And  the  Himalayas  and  the  eternal  snows?  Up  and 
up  I  toiled.  Then  at  a  sudden  turn  of  the  winding 
ascent  I  saw  the  summit  of  Kinchin junga  —  just  the 
summit,  poised  in  the  blue,  shining  and  rejoicing  in  the 
sunrise.  And  as  I  climbed,  other  peaks  rose  into  sight 
below  and  beside  him,  all  dazzling  white,  mounting  and 
mounting  the  higher  I  mounted,  every  instant  more  huge 
and  towering  and  stately,  boring  the  sky.  ...  It  was 
not  a  range,  but  a  country  of  mountains.  ...  It  was 
the  end  of  the  world  —  a  sheer  rampart,  which  forbade 
the  fancy  of  anything  beyond.  —  G.  W.  Steevexs. 

Go  to  India.    The  Taj  alone  is  worth  the  journey. 

—  Loud  Roberts. 


What  the  People  Said 

(June  21,  1887) 

By  the  well  where  the  bullocks  go, 

Silent  and  blind  and  slow, 

By  the  field  where  the  young  corn  dies, 

In  the  face  of  the  sultry  skies, 

They  have  heard,  as  the  dull  earth  hears, 

The  voice  of  the  wind  of  an  hour, 

The  sound  of  the  great  Queen's  voice :  — 

"My  God  hath  given  me  years. 

Hath  granted  dominion  and  power; 

And  I  bid  you,  O  land,  rejoice." 

And  the  ploughman  settles  the  share 
IMore  deep  in  the  grudging  clod ; 
For  he  saith :  "  The  wheat  is  my  care, 
And  the  rest  is  the  will  of  God. 


INDIA'S  INVADERS 


He  sent  the  Mahi-atta  spear 

As  lie  sendetli  tlie  rain, 

And  the  Mlech,  in  the  fated  year, 

Broke  the  spear  in  twain, 

And  was  broken  in  turn.   Who  knows 

How  our  lords  make  strife? 

It  is  good  that  tlie  young  wheat  grows, 

For  the  bread  Ls  life." 

Then,  far  and  near,  as  the  twilight  drew, 

Hissed  up  to  the  scornful  dark 

Great  serpents,  blazing,  of  red  and  blue, 

That  rose  and  faded,  and  rose  anew. 

That  the  land  might  wonder  and  mark. 

"  To-day  is  a  day  of  days,"  they  said ; 

"  Make  merry,  O  jieople,  all  1 " 

And  the  ploughman  listened  and  bowed  his  head: 

"  To-day  and  to-morrow  God's  will,"  he  said, 

As  he  trimmed  the  lamps  on  the  wall. 

"  He  sendeth  us  years  that  are  good. 

As  He  sendeth  the  dearth. 

He  giveth  to  each  man  his  food, 

Or  her  food  to  the  earth. 

Our  kings  and  our  queens  are  afar,  — 

On  their  peoples  be  peace,  — 

God  bringeth  the  rain  to  the  Bar, 

That  our  cattle  increase." 

And  the  ploughman  settles  the  share 

More  deep  in  the  sun-dried  clod, — 

"  Mogul,  Mahratta,  and  Mlech  from  the  north, 

And  White  Queen  over  the  seas  — 

God  raiseth  them  up  and  driveth  them  forth 

As  the  dust  of  the  ploughshare  flies  in  the  breeze ; 

But  the  wheat  and  the  cattle  are  all  my  care, 

And  the  rest  is  the  will  of  God." 

—  lluDYAui)  Kipling. 


78 


LUX  CHRISTI 


The  white  invasion  has  done  India  good  just  in 
measure  as  it  has  been  accompanied  by  genuine,  religious 
influence.  So  far  as  it  has  been  commercial  and  indif- 
ferent merely,  it  has  done  harm.  England  has  unselfishly 
done  for  India  more,  I  think,  than  any  other  nation 
woiild  do,  but  she  has  failed  to  give  her  an  uj)ward  im- 
pulse. .  .  .  The  only  salvation  of  India,  even  from  an 
economic  point  of  view,  in  the  opinion  of  those  vrho  have 
longest  and  most  deeply  studied  it,  is  its  Christianization. 
Let  England  inspire  India  with  a  veritable  Christian 
faith,  and  nine-tenths  of  the  present  difficulties  would 
spontaneously  cease.  —  Julian  Hawtuorne. 


The  Basis  of  British  Empire 

If  the  feeling  of  a  common  nationality  began  to  exist 
in  India  only  feeblj'  — if,  without  inspiring  any  active 
desire  to  drive  out  the  foreigner,  it  only  created  a  notion 
that  it  was  shameful  to  assist  him  in  maintaining  his 
dominion — from  that  day,  almost,  our  empire  would 
cease  to  exist ;  for  of  the  army  by  which  it  is  garrisoned, 
two-thii'ds  consist  of  native  soldiers.  ...  So  long  as  the 
population  has  not  formed  the  habit  of  criticising  their 
government,  whatever  it  may  be,  and  rebelling  against 
it,  the  government  of  India  from  England  is  possible.  .  .  . 
On  the  other  hand,  if  this  feeling  ever  does  spring  up; 
if  India  does  begin  to  breathe  as  a  national  whole,  —  and 
our  own  rule  is  perhaps  doing  more  than  ever  was  done 
by  former  governments  to  make  this  possible,  — then  the 
feeling  would  soon  gain  the  native  army,  and  on  the 
native  army  we  ultimately  depend.  .  .  .  The  moment  a 
nmtiny  is  threatened  which  shall  be  no  mere  mutiny,  but 
the  expression  of  a  universal  feeling  of  nationality,  at  that 
moment  all  hope  is  at  an  end,  as  all  desire  ought  to  be  at 
an  end,  of  preserving  our  empire.  For  we  are  not  really 
conquerors  of  India,  and  we  cannot  rule  her  as  conquer- 


INDIA'S  INVADERS 


79 


ors;  if  we  undertook  to  do  so  .  .  .  we  should  assuredly 
be  ruined  financially  by  the  mere  attempt. 
—  Professor  Seeley,  in  The  Expansion  of  England. 


Prayer  from  the  Koran 

In  the  name  of  God,  the  compassionate  Compassioner. 
Praise  be  to  God,  the  Lord  of  the  worlds,  the  compassion- 
ate Compassioner,  the  Sovereign  of  the  day  of  judgment. 
Thee  do  we  worship  and  of  Thee  do  we  beg  assistance. 
Direct  us  in  the  right  way ;  in  the  way  of  those  to  whom 
Thou  hast  been  gracious,  on  whom  there  is  no  ■wrath, 
and  who  go  not  astray. 


Jesus  Christ,  according  to  the  Koran,  is  only  one  of 
six  apostles  specially  chosen  to  proclaim  new  dispensa- 
tions in  confirmation  of  previous  ones.  These  are  Adam, 
Noah,  Abraham,  Moses,  Jesus,  and  IMoliammed.  The 
Koran  makes  the  following  declaration  :  '■  The  Christians 
say  Christ  is  the  Sou  of  God.  May  God  resist  them  .  .  . 
how  are  they  infatuated  !  .  .  ." 

The  creation  of  the  race  is  described  as  follows: 
"  Allah  took  into  his  hands  a  mass  of  clay,  and,  divid- 
ing it  in  two  equal  portions,  he  threw  one-half  into  hell, 
saying,  •  These  to  eternal  fire,  and  I  care  not  ! '  and,  toss- 
ing the  other  upward,  he  added,  '  These  to  paradise,  and 
I  care  not  I '  " 

Whatever  good  betideth  thee  is  from  God,  and  what- 
ever betideth  tiiee  of  evil  is  from  thyself.  —  Koran. 

God!  there  is  no  god  but  lie,  the  living,  the  eternal. 
Slumber  iloth  not  overtake  hiiti,  neither  sleep;  to  him 
belongeth  all  that  is  iu  lieavcm  and  in  earth.  Who  is  he 
that  can  intercede  with  him  Init  by  his  own  permission? 


80 


LUX  CRRISTI 


He  knowptli  that  which  is  past  and  that  which  is  to  come 
imto  them,  and  they  shall  not  comprehend  anything  of 
his  knowledge  but  so  far  as  he  pleaseth.  His  throne 
is  extended  over  heaven  and  earth,  and  the  upholding  of 
both  is  no  burden  unto  him.    He  is  the  lofty  and  great. 

(These  sentences  from  the  Koran  are  still  often 
engraved  on  precious  stones  and  worn  by  devout  Mussul- 
mans.) 


"The  Last  Word  of  Islam  to  Eukope" 

in  the  year  1902  by  the  mouth  of  Sheik  Abdul  Hagk,  of 
Bagdad : — 

For  us  in  the  world  there  are  only  believers  and  un- 
believers;  love,  charity,  fraternity  toward  believers; 
contempt,  disgust,  hatred,  and  war  against  unbelievers. 
Amongst  unbelievers  the  most  hateful  and  criminal  are 
those  who,  while  recognizing  God,  attribute  to  Him 
earthly  relationships,  give  Him  a  son,  a  mother.  Learn 
then,  European  observers,  that  a  Christian  of  no  matter 
what  position,  from  the  simple  fact  that  he  is  a  Christian, 
is  in  our  eyes  a  blind  man  fallen  from  all  human  dignity. 
Other  infidels  have  rarely  been  aggressive  toward  us.  But 
Christians  have  in  all  times  shown  themselves  our  bit- 
terest enemies.  .  .  .  The  only  excuse  you  offer  is  that  you 
reproach  us  with  being  rebellious  against  your  civiliza- 
tion. Yes,  rebellious,  and  rebellious  till  death !  But  it  is 
you,  and  you  alone,  who  are  the  cause  of  this.  Great 
God  !  are  we  blind  enough  not  to  see  the  prodigies  of  your 
progress?  But  know.  Christian  conquerors,  that  no  cal- 
culation, no  treasure,  no  miracle  can  ever  reconcile  us  to 
your  impious  rule.  Know  that  the  mere  sight  of  your  flag 
here  is  torture  to  Islam's  soul ;  your  greatest  benefits  are  so 
many  spots  sullying  our  conscience,  and  our  most  ardent 
aspiration  and  hope  is  to  reach  the  happy  day  when  we 
can  efface  the  last  vestiges  of  your  accursed  empire. 


INDIA'S  INVADERS 

# 


81 


"The  Bexgal  Tiger" 

"  What  would  be  the  result  if  the  British  forces  were 
to  withdraw  to-morrow  from  India  ? ''  recently  asked  a 
well-known  American  traveller  of  a  Hindu  high  in  rank. 

"What  would  be  the  result,"  was  the  answer,  "if  the 
bars  were  suddenly  removed  from  all  the  cages  in  a  me- 
nagerie ?  There  would  be  a  terrific  fight  all  around  among 
the  wild  beasts,  and  the  wild  beast  that  would  come  out 
ahead  would  be  the  Bengal  tiger ;  and  the  Bengal  tiger 
would  be  the  Mohammedan." 


Epitaph  of  Jehanaka,  the  Mughal  Cordelia 

"Let  no  canopy  cover  my  grave.  This  grass  is  the 
best  covering  for  the  poor  in  spirit.  The  humble,  the 
transitory  Jchanara,  the  disciple  of  the  holy  men  of 
Christ,  the  daughter  of  the  Emperor,  Shah  Jehan." 


Selections  from  the  Zend-Avesta 

All  good  do  I  accept  at  thy  command,  O  God,  and 
think,  speak,  and  do  it.  I  believe  in  the  pure  law ;  by 
every  good  work  seek  I  forgiveness  for  all  sins.  ^  keep 
pure  for  myself  the  serviceable  work  and  abstinence  from 
the  unprofitable.  I  keep  pure  the  six  powers,  —  thought, 
speech,  work,  memory,  mind,  and  understanding.  Accord- 
ing to  thy  will  am  T  able  to  accomplish,  O  accomplisher 
of  good,  thy  honor,  with  good  thoughts,  good  words,  good 
wishes. 

I  enter  on  the  shining  way  to  paradi.se ;  may  the 
fearful  terror  of  hell  not  overcome  me  !  May  I  step  over 
the  bridge;  Chinevat,  may  I  attain  paradise,  with  much 
perfume  and  all  enjoyments  and  all  brightness. 


82 


LUX  CHRISTI 


Take  up  the  white  man's  burden, 

Send  forth  the  best  ye  breed, 
Go,  bind  your  sons  to  exile 

To  serve  your  captives'  need ; 
To  wait,  in  heavy  harness. 

On  fluttered  folk  and  wild. 
Your  new-caught,  sullen  peoples, 

Half  devil  and  half  child. 

Take  up  the  white  man's  burden  — 

Ye  dare  not  stoop  to  less  — 
Nor  call  too  loud  on  Freedom 

To  eloke  your  weariness. 
By  all  ye  will  or  whisper, 

By  all  ye  leave  or  do, 
The  silent,  sullen  peoples 

Shall  weigh  your  God  and  you." 

—  RuDYARD  Kipling. 


From  Edict  VI  of  Asoka 

(Carved  on  a  pillar  at  Delhi) 

I  pray  with  every  variety  of  prayer  for  those  who 
differ  from  me  in  creed,  that  they,  following  my  proper 
example,  may  with  me  attain  unto  eternal  salvation. 


Inscriptiox  on  a  Mohammedan  Mosque 

This  world  is  a  bridge.  Pass  thou  over  it,  but  build 
not  upon  it.  This  world  is  one  hour ;  give  its  minutes 
to  thy  prayers ;  for  the  rest  is  unseen. 


INDIA'S  INVADERS 


83 


THEMES  FOR  STUDY  OR  DISCUSSION 

J.  Coiuparisou  between  Buddhism  and  Christianity 
(Asoka  and  Constantine). 
II.  The  Parsis  in  India. 

III.  Islam,  the  Ideal  and  the  Real. 

IV.  Good  and  Evil  Results  of  the  Mohammedan  Con- 

quest.   Famous  Men  and  Women. 
V.  Comparison  between  the  Reigns  of  Akbar  the 

Great  and  Elizabeth  of  England. 
VI.  Agra  and  the  Taj  Mahal ;  the  Mughals  as  Builders. 
VII.  Delhi,  the  Rome  of  India. 
VIII.  Christian  English  Statesmen  of  India. 
IX.  Calcutta  and  Bombay,  Cities  of  Recent  Growth. 
X.  Lord  Clive  and  Warren  Hastings. 
,XI  The  Sikhs,  Rajputs,  and  Mahrattas. 
XII.  The  Sepoy  Mutiny,  Cawnpore  and  Lucknow.  (Read 
Tennyson's  "  The  Defence  of  Lucknow  "  and  R. 
Lowell's  "  The  Relief  of  Lucknow.") 

BOOKS  OF  REFERENCE 

General  Rkfeiiences  as  before 

Sir  E.  Arnold's  "  India  Revisited,"  VI,  VII,  IX. 
Butler's  "Land  of  the  Veda,"  IH,  IV,  VL  XI,  XIL 
Carlyle's  "On  Heroes:  Mahomet,"  III. 
Clarke's  "Ten  Great  Religions,"  I,  II,  III. 
Dods'  "Mohammed,  Buddha,  and  Christ,"  I,  HI. 
Fergusson's  "  Indian  Architecture,"  IV,  VI,  VH. 
Frazer's  "  British  India,"  IV,  V,  VIII,  X,  XI,  XII. 
Humphreys'  "  Gems  of  India,"  IV,  VI. 
Hurst's  "  Indika,"  H,  IV,  VI,  VH,  IX,  XIL 
Kellogg's  "  Light  of  Asia  and  Light  of  the  World,"  I. 
Kipling's  "City  of  the  Dreadful  Night,"  iX. 
The  Koran,  III. 


84 


LUX  CHRISTI 


Leonowens's  "Life  and  Travel  in  India,"  IT.  IV,  IX. 
Living  Papers  Series,  "  Xon-Christian  lleligions  of  the 

World,"  I,  II,  III. 
McCarthy's  "  Histoiy  of  our  Own  Times,"  VIII,  XII. 
Macaulay's  "  Essays,"  X. 
Reed's  "  Persian  Literature,"  II,  III. 
Rousselet's  "  India  and  its  Native  Princes,"  IV,  VI,  VII, 

IX,  XL 

Bosworth   Smith's  "Mohammed  and  the  Mohamme- 
dans," III. 

Steevens's  "  In  India,"  II,  Yl,  VH,  VHI,  XI. 
Thobiirn's  "  India  and  IMalaysia,"  I,  II,  III,  TV. 
"Wheeler's  "  Short  History  of  India."    For  all  but  I. 
Sir  yi.  Williams's  "  Religious  Thought  and  Life  in  India," 
XL 

Sir  M.  Williams's  "  Buddhism,"  I. 


RELIGIOUS  CENSUS,  18911 

Out  of  a  tliousand  natives  selected  from  the  different 
religions  in  their  due  proportion,  723  would  be  Hindu, 
199  Mohammedan,  2i  Buddhist,  6  Sikh,  8  Christian,  the 
remaining  10  j^agans.    The  totals  are  as  follows  :  — 


Hindus  . 
Mohammedan 
Aboriginals 
Buddhists  (Burma) 
Christians  (Prot.) 
"  (other) 


Sikhs 

Jains 

Parsis 

Jews 

B  rah  mas 

Miscellaneous 


559,001 
1,724,719 


Total 


Languages 


207,728,676 
57,321,164 
9,280,467 
7,131,301 


2,284,3802 
1,907,833 
1,416,638 
89,904 
17,194 
3,051 
42,763 

287,223,431 


There  are  one  hundred  languages  and  fifty  dialects 
spoken,  due  chiefly  to  the  diversity  of  race.  Every  great 
invasion  has  been  the  signal  for  thrusting  a  new  language 
upon  the  country.  These  languages  may  be  divided  into 
three  groups,  —  the  Aryan,  Dravidian,  Kolarian. 

The  original  Aryan,  from  which  all  Indo-European 
tongues  sprang,  has  perished.  It  developed  into  San- 
ekrit,  the  old  classical  language  of  government  and  higher 
education,  now  a  dead  language.  The  most  important 
of  the  Aryan  languages  are :  — 


1  For  this  table  and  those  on  the  page  following  the  author 
is  indebted  to  the  courtesy  of  tlie  Foreign  Missions  Library. 

^  Tli(!  ccn.sus  for  1901  shows  an  increase  in  this  total  of 
638,969  for  the  decade. 


Continued  from  page  85. 


Language 

Whkre  Spoken 

Population 

Bengali 

Lower  Bengal 

41,000,000 

Uriya 

Orissa 

9,000,000 

Assamese 

Valley  of  Assam 

1,500,000 

Hindustani 

or  Urdu 

and  Hindi 

N.  W.  Provinces,  Rajputana, 

and  Punjab 

85,500,000 

Marathi 

Bombay  and  Deccan 

18,750,000 

Gujerati 

Gugerat,  commercial  language 

tbroup'lioiit'.  wpstprn  Tndia. 

10,500,000 

Sindi 

Sind 

2,500,000 

Punjabi 

Punjab 

17,750,000 

Pushtu 

British  Afghanistan 

1,000,000 

Kashmiri 

Valley  of  Kashmir 

29,000 

Of  the  Dravidian  languages  all  but  four  are  unculti- 
vated, unwritten,  and  spoken  only  by  uncivilized  hill 
tribes.    These  four  are  :  — 


Languaob 

WiiEKE  Spoken 

Population 

Tamil 

Madras    to    Cape  Comorin 

(Ceylon) 

15,000,000 

Telugu 

Lower  basins  of  Kistna  and 

Godavari 

19,750,000 

Kanarese 

Mysore  and  northward 

9,750,000 

Malayalam 

Travancore  and  Malabar  coast 

5,2.50,000 

The  Kolarian  languages  are  all  without  character  or 
literature,  and  are  spoken  only  by  hill  tribes. 


CHAPTER  III 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE 

Oh,  masters,  lords,  and  rulers  in  all  lands. 
How  will  the  future  reckon  with  this  man? 
How  answer  his  brute  question  in  that  hour 
When  whirlwinds  of  rebellion  shake  the  world  ? 
How  will  it  be  with  kingdoms  and  with  kings. 
With  those  who  shaped  hiui  to  the  thing  he  is. 
When  this  dumb  terror  shall  reply  to  God 
After  the  silence  of  the  centuries  V 

—  E.  Markham. 

■  What  of  the  people  themselves,  so  often 
conquered,  so  intermingled  in  strain  ? 

It  has  been  well  said,  there  is  no  Indian 
people.  There  is  a  motley  mass  of  humaniL  v, 
of  different  races  and  tribes  and  a  hundred 
tongues,  composing  the  population  of  India,  but 
they  ai'e  no  more  a  distinct  nation  than  are  the 
peoples  of  Europe. 

The  Hindus,  however,  Aryan  and  non-Aryan, 
have  not  been  essentially  amalgamated  with 
their  Mohammedan  or  British  conquerors  ;  their 
Brahmanical  religion  and  the  customs  founded 
\ipon  the  Code  of  Manu  remain  substantially 
unchanged  from  ancient  ages. 

To  the  Hindu  people,  then,  so  greatly  in  ex- 
cess of  all  otluirs  numerically  in  India,  we  must 
give  our  attention,  with  especial  reference  to  the 
condition  of  women  and  the  practices  of  religion. 

87 


88 


LUX  CHRISTI 


I.    STATUS  AND  CHARACTEKISTICS  OF  THE 
HINDUS 

About  sixty  per  cent  of  the  population  of  In- 
dia ^  lives  by  agriculture.  Ninety  per  cent  is  a 
rural  population.  In  all  India  there  are  but 
twenty-eight  cities  numbering  over  100,000 
inhabitants,  and  but  six  whose  populations 
exceed  200,000,  viz.,  Bombay  (821,764),  Cal- 
cutta (741,144),  Madras  (452,518),  Haidara- 
bad  (415,039),  Lucknow  (273,028),  Benares 
(219,467). 

The  rural  population,  stolid  and  illiterate  in 
the  main,  resides  in  villages  ;  the  common  occu- 
pations beside  agriculture  are  working  as  smiths, 
carpenters,  oil-pressers,  potters,  and  weavers. 
The  houses,  built  of  matting,  wattles,  or  adobe, 
and  roofed  with  reeds  or  grass,  are  primitive  in 
structure  and  almost  destitute  of  furnishing. 
The  common  life  of  the  villagers  is  laborious, 
monotonous,  and  colorless  to  a  degree.  Rice, 
the  staple  article  of  food,  is  commonly  cleansed 
and  ground  by  the  women. 

There  is  little  manufacture  on  a  large  scale, 
but  in  delicacy  and  beauty  the  silk  and  cotton 
fabri(is,  the  embroidery,  jewelry,  and  carpets  of 
India  are  unexcelled  in  the  world's  products. 

The  Hindus  are  a  civilized  people,  but  their 
civilization  seems  to  have  remained  stagnant  for 
three  thousand  years.    Life  is  on  a  dead  level. 

1  Two  hundred  and  eighty-eight  millions  total. 


THE  OFT-CONQUEBED  PEOPLE  89 


"  It  tires  one,"  says  a  recent  English  traveller, 
"to  see  the  fixedness,  the  apathy,  the  lifeless- 
ness  of  a  great  jjopulation  which  should  by  right 
be  up  and  stirring,  trading,  and  organizing. 
There  is  a  strange  mingling  in  the  Oriental  of 
impassiveness  and  childishness,  of  fierce  pas- 
sions and  primitive  ideas."  Not  inaptly  have 
the  Hindus  been  called  "a  nation  of  children." 

Racial  Characteristics 

The  physical  characteristics  of  the  leading 
races  in  India  have  been  thus  described  by  a 
French  authority: — the  Aryan  type  (chiefly 
represented  in  its  purity  by  the  Rajput  and 
Brahman)  is  marked  by  a  long  head  ;  the  face 
is  long,  symmetrical,  and  narrow;  the  nose  is 
straight  and  delicate  ;  the  forehead  is  well  de- 
veloped ;  features  regular,  and  the  facial  angle 
high  ;  in  stature  he  is  somewhat  tall  ;  the  com- 
plexion is  clear,  and  even  fair  in  some  cases. 

The  Dravidian  type  inclines  soniewhat  toward 
the  long  head  ;  the  nose  is  large  and  broad  ; 
facial  angle  comparatively  low;  lips  are  thick; 
face  large  and  flesliy  ;  features  coarse  and  ir- 
regular ;  height  low ;  complexion  varies  from 
brown  to  almost  black. 

The  Monr/ol  type  (including  Tibeto-Burman 
and  Kolarian)  is  marked  by  a  short  head  ;  the 
face  is  large  ;  nose  short  and  large  ;  tlie  cheek- 
bones are  high  and  prominent ;  the  eyes  appear 
to  be  set  awry  upon  the  face. 


90 


LUX  CHRISTI 


While  less  muscular  than  the  European,  the 
Hindu  is  more  graceful  in  his  movements.  The 
height,  strength,  and  courage  of  those  dwelling 
in  the  north  are  generally  greater  than  are  found 
in  southern  India.  The  average  duration  of 
life  is  twenty-four  years,  against  nearly  forty- 
four  years  in  England. 

The  Hindus  are  docile,  gentle,  peaceable,  and 
temperate,  courteous  to  a  degree,  affectionate, 
and  naturally  religious.  Of  fair  intelligence, 
and,  in  the  Brahman  caste,  capable  of  a  reline- 
ment  of  philosophic  subtlety  in  thinking,  they 
are  singularly  unresponsive  to  social  and  intel- 
lectual progress.  Instead  of  creative  or  inven- 
tive energy,  in  the  higher  type  of  Hindu  we 
have  a  dreamy,  speculative,  brooding  habit  of 
mind ;  instead  of  manly  and  cheerful  courage, 
a  fixed  fatalism  ;  instead  of  calm  reason,  a  fever- 
ish and  unwholesome  imagination  ;  in  place  of 
patriotism,  among  the  poorer  classes  at  least,  a 
dull  indifference  as  to  who  rules  his  land  if  only 
he  be  suffered  to  plough  his  field  and  eat  his 
rice  in  peace.  Throughout  the  nation  there 
is,  in  place  of  the  stern  and  rugged  virtues  of 
freemen,  a  passive  subservience,  a  loss  of  the 
power  of  self-government,  an  absence  of  ambi- 
tion in  almost  every  field  of  activity.  "  We  are 
a  subject  race,"  said  Protap  Chunder  Mozoom- 
dar  ;  "  we  are  uneducated  ;  we  are  incapable." 

A  ffood  illustration  of  the  contrast  between 
the  progressive  American  and  the  conservative 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE 


91 


Hindu  is  offered  by  tlie  fact  that  while  in  the 
,  Patent  Office  in  Washington  there  are  models 
j  for  six  thousand  improved  ploughs,  the  inhabit- 
ants of  India  use  the  same  implement  which  was 
1  used  by  their  progenitors  at  least  two  thousand 
j  years  ago. 

I    The  characteristics  named  are  obviously  those 

j  of  a  people  so  often  conquered  that  the  power 
of  energetic  action,  the  principles  of  patriotism 
and  national  integrity,  have  been  almost  crushed 
out,  for  the  story  of  their  past  is  but  the  long 

j  monotony  of  repeated  conquest  and  oppression. 
"Tlie  White  Queen  over  the  Sea"  has  been  to 
the  people  at  large  but  a  species  of  fabulous 

I  fairy  allotted  by  Fate  to  rule  over  them  for  a 

(time. 

;  Poverty  and  Famine 

The  tropical,  enervating  climate,  together 
with  imperfect  agricultural  methods  and  fre- 
,quent  droughts,  gives  rise  to  a  condition  of 
iextreme  poverty  in  itself  essentially  productive 
,of  a  low  vitality  and  a  physical  languor  almost 
ifatal  to  the  development  of  the  spirit  of  personal 
land  public  progress.  It  must  be  also  borne  in 
iniind  that  the  density  of  the  population  of  India, 
Inearly  eleven  times  greater  to  the  square  mile 
ithan  that  of  the  United  States,  contributes 
:powerfully  to  conditions  of  poverty  and 
iiuffering. 

'  While  the  magnificent  spectacle  attending 
ithe  proclamation  of  Queen  Victoria  as  Empress 


92 


LUX  CRBISTI 


of  India  was  holding  the  eye  of  the  world  in  the 
year  1877,  the  shadow  of  a  famine  more  terrible 
than  had  been  known  in  a  century  was  dark- 
ening southern  India.  As  a  result  of  the  condi- 
tions which  followed,  the  deaths  from  starvation, 
and  disease  incident  to  lack  of  food,  were  esti- 
mated at  five  million  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand. 

During  the  last  quarter  of  a  century,  that  is 
since  the  famine  of  1876-1877,  there  have  been 
sixteen  great  famines,  resulting  in  over  twenty 
million  deaths,  a  startling  increase  over  the 
record  for  any  previous  period  of  the  same 
length. 

The  plague  and  famine  of  1897,  in  northern 
central  India,  directly  involved  in  indescribable 
sufferings  a  population  of  thirty-seven  millions, 
while  thrice  that  number  were  in  the  region  of 
"  scarcity." 

Average  Incomes 

It  is  possible  that  to  the  English  or  American 
reader  the  ordinary  conditions  of  life  among 
the  Hindus  would  appear  to  merit  the  term 
"  scarcity,"  which  is  usually  applied  only  to 
famine  conditions.  The  official  estimate  of  the 
average  Indian  income  for  those  outside  govern- 
ment positions  in  1882  was  three  cents  a  day,  or 
eleven  dollars  a  year  for  eacli  person.  In  1900 
it  has  been  estimated  as  a  cent  and  a  half  a  day. 
These  figures  will  indicate  the  profound  and  in- 
creasing poverty  of  the  people  at  large.    It  may 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE  93 


also  lead  thoughtful  readers  to  wonder  less  at  the 
apathy,  the  fatalism,  the  spiritless  and  stoical 
lethargy  of  the  nation. 

The  average  yearly  salary  of  India's  native 
officials  in  the  British  civil  and  military  service 
for  the  year  1898-1899  was  one  hundred  and 
eighty  dollars.  The  average  salary  of  her 
English  officials,  who  of  necessity  occupy  the 
more  responsible  positions,  was  three  thousand 
dollars  for  the  same  year.  In  official  position 
the  Englishman  undoubtedly  has  the  preference 
over  the  native,  and  in  all  the  higher  positions 
this  preference  practically  amounts  almost  to 
monopoly.  It  is  pardonable,  then,  as  says 
Bishop  Thoburu,  if  the  Indian  looks  upon  the 
English  youth  who  comes  out  to  take  up  work 
in  India,  as  something  more  than  a  rival,  as 
rather  an  unjust  supplanter  of  the  children  of 
the  soil. 

A  careful  student  of  the  financial  condition 
of  British  India  at  the  beginning  of  the  twen- 
tieth century  writes,  "  Nearly  the  whole  of  the 
wealth  remaining  in  the  country  a  hundred 
years  ago  has  been  so  drained  away  that  there 
is  now  less  popular  pecuniary  reserve  in  India 
than  in  any  civilized  country  in  the  world." 

It  has  been  estimated  that  forty  millions  of 
the  people  habitually  live  on  one  meal  a  day, 
and  it  is  a  matter  of  course  for  multitudes  to  lie 
down  to  sleep  hungry  every  night.  "  A  patient 
people,  these  villagers  of  India;  they  have  been 


94 


LUX  CHBISTI 


hungry  these  thirty  centuries,  and  it  has  never 
occurred  to  them  that  they  have  any  claim  to  be 
filled." 

II.    THE  POSITION   OF   WOMEN  IN  THE  HINDU 
ECONOMY 

The  wrongs  of  Indian  womanhood  liave  been 
frequently  and  movingly  set  forth. 

Let  us  begin  our  study  of  this  topic,  however, 
by  stating  that  though  much  is  wrong,  all  is  not 
wrong.  The  Hindus  are  better  than  Hinduism. 
Harsh  and  brutal  as  are  the  dicta  of  the  Code  of 
Manu  on  the  subject  of  women,  the  inborn  laws 
of  humanity,  the  practical  requirements  of  daily 
social  and  domestic  life,  and  above  all  the  power 
of  natural  affection,  have  greatly  softened  the 
application  of  those  laws. 

Woman  in  the  Vedas 

Even  the  Sanskrit  books  have  some  fine  con- 
ceptions of  womanly  attributes,  and  the  early 
Vedas  held  women  in  high  regard.  In  later 
literature  the  ideal  woman  is  described  as  a 
pattern  of  worldly  and  self-centred  perfection: 
she  is  to  keep  all  her  husband's  secrets,  never 
to  reveal  the  amount  of  his  wealth,  to  excel 
all  other  women  in  personal  attractiveness,  in 
knowledge  of  cookery,  in  hospitality  and  in 
thrift,  and  in  superintending  every  detail  of 
family  life.  Finally,  she  is  to  cooperate  with 
her  husband  in  pursuing  the  three  great  objects 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE  95 


of  life, — religious  merits  wealth,  and  enjoyment. 
This  perfect  woman  is  called  a  Padmini  (a  lotus 
flower  of  womankind).  In  short,  the  highest 
ideal  of  Hindu  womanhood  approximates  closely 
the  lowest  standard  of  Christian  womanhood, 
—  falsely  called  Christian,  since  it  names  but 
snows  not  Christ. 

Seclusion  of  Women 

It  is  not  probable  that  the  early  Hindus  ever 
jnforced  the  seclusion  of  their  women.  This 
practice  is  due  to  Moliammedan  influences,  and, 
n  actual  fact,  concerns  only  a  small  percentage 
jven  of  high-caste  Hindu  women.  In  the 
Mahratta  country,  in  western  India,  and  in 
nany  districts  where  Mohammedan  influence 
^las  not  prevailed,  the  women  enjoy  a  large  de- 
cree of  freedom. 

Those  who  are  confined  in  the  Zenana  (a 
Mohammedan  term)  or  behind  the  Purdah  (the 
Hindu  for  veil  or  curtain)  consider  their  lot  a 
>rery  exalted  one  and  a  token  of  their  aristo- 
cratic superiority,  although  they  may  never 
aave  enjoyed  a  good  ride  or  walk  in  their  lives, 
3r  seen  anything  of  the  world  outside  their 
30rafortless  quarters.  The  women's  apartments, 
5ven  in  elegant  marble  mansions  in  the  great 
jities,  are  in  the  back  of  the  house,  gloomy  and 
nferior,  dull  and  prison-like.  Tlie  native  dress 
)f  the  women  consists  of  a  small  jacket  and 
I  mri,  i.e.  six  to  nine  yards  of  cloth,  one 


96 


LUX  CHRISTI 


end  of  which  is  wrapped  around  the  waist, 
gathered  into  folds  in  front,  and  secured 
by  tucking  under.  When  required,  this  end 
may  be  readily  loosed  and  used  as  a  head 
covering.  If  the  husbands  are  wealthy,  the 
women  load  themselves  with  the  gorgeous, 
barbaric  jewels  of  which  all  Indian  women  are 
so  fond,  and  spend  their  time  in  vacant  idleness 
or  in  elaborate,  voluptuous  baths  and  anoint- 
ings. Otherwise,  they  have  the  resource  of 
cookery  and  other  domestic  occupation.  The 
sole  subjects  for  conversation  in  the  belittling 
life  of  the  Zenana  are  the  pettiest  gossip,  and 
the  tedious  intrigues  of  the  complex  household 
in  which  four  generations  may  be  included, 
with  several  wives  and  concubines  for  every 
man.  Intellectual  life,  philanthropy,  patriotic 
and  public  interests  there  are  none.  So  deep  is 
the  prejudice  against  the  movement  for  the 
education  of  women  that  the  recent  severe 
droughts  have  been  ascribed  to  the  displeasure 
of  the  gods  on  this  account.  It  has  been  a 
popular  belief  among  high-caste  women  that 
their  husbands  would  die  if  they  should  even 
learn  to  read  or  write. 

Common  Characteristics 

Notwithstanding  these  and  many  depressing 
influences,  the  ties  of  family  life  are  strong  in 
India,  perhaps  the  most  hopeful  fact  in  the 
problem  of  ui)lifting  the  people.    The  mother 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE 


97 


of  sons  enjoys  a  species  of  honor  and  respect, 
and  a  mother-in-law  rules  her  sons'  wives 
with  despotic  authority.  The  married  women, 
while  held  as  servile  inferiors  to  their  hus- 
bands, are  gentle,  retiring,  and  not  devoid  of 
jersonal  beauty ;  patience  and  tenderness  are 
shief  characteristics,  and  the  love  of  children 
imounts  in  many  cases  to  a  passion ;  while,  on 
ihe  other  hand,  instances  of  most  unnatural 
jruelty  are  not  uncommon.  In  the  gentler 
"eatures  of  Hindu  womanhood  above  mentioned 
Iwell  the  promise  and  potency  of  a  noble  future 
ov  the  race ;  but  there  are  social  conditions 
vhich  stand  like  an  almost  insurmountable 
)arrier  between  actual  conditions  and  such  a 
ionsummation.  For  women  of  moral  and  in- 
ellectual  excellence  are  exceptions,  and  until 
\.siatic  women,  wliether  Hindu  or  Moslem,  are 
ilevated  and  educated,  all  efforts  to  raise  Asiatic 
lations  to  the  level  of  Anglo-Saxon  will  remain 
ruitless. 

Of  the  average  Hindu  woman  it  can  be 
ruly  said :  her  birth  is  unwelcome,  her  physi- 
ial  life  is  outraged,  her  mental  life  is  stunted, 
ler  spiritual  life  is  denied  existence.  Female 
nfanticidc,  while  no  longer  openly  committed, 
3  known  to  be  still  prevalent,  especially  among 
he  Rajputs,  who  are  too  proud  to  make  ijiforior 
(Uiances  for  their  daughters,  or  too  poor  to 
rovide  several  with  the  large  dowry  which 
xtravagant  custom  has  fixed,  and  therefore 
11 


98 


LUX  CHRISTI 


quietly  put  superfluous  girl  babies  out  of  the 
way. 

Family  Life 

The  "  joint-family  system "  of  India  is  a 
dangerous  one  to  family  peace ;  jealousy  and 
hatred,  discord  and  deceit,  rule.  Family  feuds 
and  litigations  are  everyday  occurrences.  The 
Hindu  family  is  an  incoherent  and  cumbrous 
mass.  Upon  the  children  are  concentrated  the 
power  of  evil  example  and  every  aspect  of 
domestic  unhappiness.  A  sad  feature  of  home 
life  is  the  prurient  precocity  of  children,  who 
begin  their  vile  language  in  their  infant  prattle, 
and  grow  old  in  pollution  while  young  in  years. 
"  The  child's  life  is  full  of  misery.  Tlie  in- 
decent speech  of  the  home  is  one  of  its  darkest 
features.  "Worse  than  all  is  the  woe  of  Indian 
childhood  which  befalls  the  opening  mind  when, 
led  by  their  mothers  to  the  Indian  temple,  their 
eyes  are  met  with  sights,  their  ears  assailed  with 
songs,  of  such  loathsome  import,  that  innocency 
may  not  sustain  the  strain,  and  the  child  mind 
perishes  in  that  awful  hour." 

The  average  Indian  mother  never  thinks  of 
paying  attention  to  the  moral  or  mental  devel- 
opment of  her  little  children,  while,  as  they 
usually  go  unclad  and  often  unwashed,  her 
cares  for  their  physical  life  are  simple.  The 
lack  of  sanitary  knowledge  involves  habits  of 
life  filthy  beyond  description. 

Polygamy  is  not  common  among  the  lower 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE 


99 


class  of  Hindus,  although  permitted  to  the 
Hrahmans,  and  to  all  if  the  wife  fails  to  bear 
a  son  after  seven  years.  Among  Mohamme- 
dans it  is  prevalent,  while  open  concubinage 
is  common  to  all  classes  in  India.  The  wide- 
spread ignorance  of  Indian  women  is  evidenced 
by  statistics  which  show  that  in  1897  there  were 
but  six  women  out  of  every  thousand  who  could 
lead  or  write.  If  the  women  above  twenty- 
five  3'^ears  of  age  are  reckoned,  we  find  that  the 
})ercentage  of  illiterates  is  ninety-nine  and  one- 
lialf,  indicating  that  female  education  is  almost 
confined  to  this  generation. 

A  Mohammedan  ffousehold 

"  In  a  rich  man's  harem,"  says  Isabella  Bishop, 
"  there  are  women  of  all  ages  and  colors,  girl 
childi-en,  and  very  young  boys.  There  are  the 
favorite  and  other  legitimate  wives,  concubines, 
who  have  recognized,  but  very  slender,  rights, 
discarded  wives  who  have  been  favorites  in  their 
day,  and  who  have  passed  into  practical  slavery 
to  their  successors,  numbers  of  slaves  and  old 
women,  daughters-in-law,  and  child  or  girl 
widows  whose  lot  is  deplorable,  and  many  others. 
I  have  seen  as  many  as  two  liundred  in  one 
house,  a  great  crowd,  privacy  being  unknown, 
grossly  ignorant,  with  intolerable  curiosity 
forcing  on  a  stranger  abominable  or  frivolous 
questions,  then  relapsing  into  apathy  but  rarely 
broken,  exce])t  by  outbreaks  of  hate  and  tlio 


100 


LUX  CHRISTI 


results  of  successful  intrigue."  The  INIoslem 
population  remains  a  sullen  and  ominous  ele- 
ment in  the  life  of  India.  The  youths  are 
proverbially  slow  to  acquire  education.  The 
men  and  women  are  in  no  way  superior  in  in- 
telligence, morality,  or  industry  to  the  Hindus. 

Child  Marriage 

At  the  foundation  of  all  the  wrongs  to  Indian 
womanhood  lies  the  practice  of  enforced  child- 
marriage,  with  its  concomitant  of  child-widow- 
hood. 

The  custom  of  child-marriage  is  at  least  five 
hundred  years  older  than  the  Christian  era,  and 
doubtless  sprang  from  the  belief  that  a  man  had 
no  claim  to  the  funeral  ceremonial  rites  of  his 
religion  unless  he  was  the  father  of  a  son,  and 
that  for  an  unmarried  Avoman  there  was  no 
salvation. 

Little  girls  are  betrothed  in  their  cradles,  or 
at  the  age  of  three  or  four,  to  boys  a  little 
older,  of  whom  they  know  nothing,  until,  at 
tlie  age  of  seven  or  eight,  and  from  that  up 
to  twelve  as  the  maximum,  they  are  claimed 
as  wives,  and  conducted  to  the  homes  of  their 
husbands. 

Motherhood  at  the  age  of  ten  or  twelve  is  not 
infrequent,  and  many  grandmothers  are  but 
twenty-five.  Thus  Hindu  custom  ordains  that 
the  women  of  India  shall  bear  children  while 
they  are  still  children  themselves,  and  a  stunted, 


TUE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE  101 


degenerate,  and  ill-developed  race  is  tlie  inevi- 
table result. 

"  It  must  be  borne  in  mind,"  says  Ramabai, 
"  that  both  in  northern  and  southern  India  the 
term  '  marriage '  in  infancy  does  not  mean  any- 
thing more  than  an  irrevocable  betrothal.  The 
ceremony  gone  through  at  that  time  establishes 
religiously  the  conjugal  relationship  of  both 
parties;  there  is  a  second  ceremony  which  con- 
firms the  relationship  both  religiously  and  so- 
cially, which  does  not  take  place  until  the  chil- 
dren attain  the  age  of  puberty."  The  Hindu 
people,  as  we  now  see,  are  not  merely  a  "nation 
of  children "  but  of  the  children  of  children. 
Marriage  contracted  and  children  born  when 
there  is  no  adequate  means  of  support  is  further- 
more a  productive  cause  of  the  grinding  poverty 
of  the  country.  Hindu  Swamis  boast  that  there 
is  no  divorce  in  India.  No,  for  marriage  — 
unconsciously  contracted  child-raarriage  —  is 
irrevocable  for  the  wife,  while  the  husband  has 
no  need  of  divorce,  since  he  can  desert  liis  Avife 
if  he  choose,  and  can  install  other  women  in  his 
household  if  so  minded. 

Child  Widotvs 

Child-marriage  entails  the  yet  more  awful 
system  of  (;hild-wi(lowhood,  so  blasting  to  all 
which  makes  life  worth  living  that  it  lias  been 
termed  "cold  suttee,"  and  many  persons  have 
felt  that  the  ancient  and  now  ff)rbi(lden  prac- 


102 


LUX  CHBISTI 


tice  of  widow-biu-ning,  by  wbicli  tbe  wido^y 
passed  by  death  from  tbe  long  martyrdom  of 
life  now  her  portion,  was  almost  preferable. 

Sir  William  Hunter  quotes  the  following, 
which  we  will  give  as  a  typical  case  of  child- 
widowhood  :  "•  Let  us  take  the  instance  of  a 
child  of  three  years.  This  is  not  an  excep- 
tional but  a  fairly  general  instance.  Of  the 
fact  that  she  has  been  once  married  and  has 
become  a  widow  she  knows  nothing.  She, 
therefore,  mixes  with  children  not  widowed. 
Supposing  there  is  a  festivity,  children  run  to 
the  scene  ;  but  the  sight  of  a  widowed  child  is 
a  bad  omen  to  the  persons  concerned  in  the  fes- 
tivities. She  is  removed  by  force.  She  cries, 
and  is  rewarded  by  her  parents  with  a  blow 
accompanied  by  remarks  such  as  these:  'You 
were  a  most  sinful  being  in  your  previous 
births,  you  have,  therefore,  been  widowed 
already.  Instead  of  hiding  your  shame  in  a 
corner  of  the  house,  you  go  and  injure  others.' 
.  .  •  The  child  can  wear  no  ornaments.  She 
cannot  bathe  in  the  manner  that  other  children 
bathe.  Her  touch  is  pollution.  In  tlie  mean- 
while, if  the  priest  happens  to  visit  the  place 
where  the  child  is,  her  head  is  immediately 
shaved  and  she  is  dressed  in  the  single,  coarse 
garment  of  the  widow.  She  is  then  asked  to  eat 
only  once  in  the  day,  and  required  to  fast  once 
a  fortnight,  even  at  the  risk  of  death,  the  fast 
sometimes  continuing  for  seventy-two  liours." 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE  103 


The  name  "rand,"  by  which  the  widow  is 
generallj'^  known,  is  equivalent  to  the  term  "har- 
lot." Ill  treated  by  her  family,  or  the  family 
of  her  dead  husband,  in  which  she  may  dwell, 
as  a  contemptible,  disgraceful  being,  it  is  no 
wonder  that  the  young  widow  often  seeks 
escape.  But  whither  can  she  go?  No  respect- 
able family  will  have  her  for  a  servant.  She 
has  been  rendered  repulsive  in  appearance  by 
the  shaving  of  her  head ;  she  is  absolutely 
ignorant,  absolutely  destitute,  owning  only 
her  single  garment.  The  alternatives  before 
her  are  submission  to  her  wretched  lot,  suicide, 
or  a  life  of  infamy.  Suicide  is  common  ;  still 
more  common  the  life  of  shame.  It  is  largely 
from  the  class  of  child-widows  that  the  ranks 
of  the  temple  girls  are  recruited. 

Religious  Prostitution  of  Womanhood 

The  social  and  religious  system  of  Hinduism 
brings  in  its  train  the  dishonoring  of  women 
in  a  degree  little  understood  by  the  western 
world. 

Tlie  service  of  the  temples  demands  large 
numbers  of  dancing-girls,  or  priestesses,  who 
are  dedicated  in  infancy  to  this  vocation. 
When  ariived  at  womanhood,  they  give  their 
bodies  to  the  service  and  maintenance  of  tlie 
temple,  and  form  one  of  the  most  fruitful 
sources  of  the  depravity  of  the  Braliman  priest- 
hood, to  whose  pleasure  thoy  ai-e  primarily  de- 


104 


LUX  CHEISTI 


voted.  These  temple  girls  are  called  devadasis, 
meaning  slaves  of  the  god. 

Another  class  of  courtesans,  more  familiar  to 
European  travellers  in  India,  are  the  nautch 
girls. 

The  institution  of  the  nautch  is  a  very  ancient 
one,  based  upon  the  example  of  the  god  Krishna, 
who  sported  with  thousands  of  dancing-girls. 
Hence  social  custom  sanctions  their  presence  at 
all  weddings,  receptions,  and  functions  of  every 
kind.  The  nautch  girl,  being  the  only  woman 
in  India,  until  recent  times,  who  had  intellectual 
life  or  training,  or  any  freedom  in  society,  has 
held  a  somewhat  honored  place,  corresponding 
in  a  way  to  the  professional  courtesan  in  the 
old  Greek  social  fabric.  All  other  women  in 
India  are  strictly  forbidden  to  dance,  and  edu- 
cation in  a  girl  is  still  regarded  in  conservative 
Indian  circles  as  a  mark  of  loose  morality. 

The  nautch  girl  is  taught  from  earliest  child- 
hood to  read,  dance,  and  sing,  and  instructed  in 
every  art  of  seduction.  Tliese  girls  are  usually 
beautiful  and  graceful,  and  they  follow  their 
profession  with  the  characteristic  submission 
of  all  Hindu  women.  They  frequently  acquire 
large  fortunes,  receiving  extravagant  gifts  from 
wealthy  Brahmans  who  come  under  the  fascina- 
tion of  their  wit,  beauty,  and  accomplishments. 

The  muralis  are  girls  devoted  by  their  parents 
in  infancy  to  the  god  Khandoba,  a  deity  of  the 
Maratha  country.    Tlie  rites  of  this  dedication 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE  105 


are  termed  "being  married  to  a  sword,"  the 
weapon  of  Khandoba.  These  muralis  are 
licensed  by  law  and  dedicated  to  impure  lives 
in  the  name  of  their  religion.  If  you  ask  what 
can  justify  such  action  on  the  part  of  the 
parents,  you  will  be  told  by  the  natives,  "  It 
is  our  custom."  Custom  in  India  is  indeed 
religion. 

III.    THE  PRACTICES  OF  THE  HINDU  RELIGION 

In  certain  theoretical  points  Hinduism  pos- 
sesses affinities  for  Christianity,  and  the  Hindu 
is  more  accessible  than  the  Mussulman  to  Chris- 
tian motives.  Hinduism  is  a  theistic  religion  ;  it 
Upliolds  belief  in  a  trinity,  in  divine  self-revela- 
tion and  incarnation  ;  it  inculcates  the  deepest 
reverence  for  and  submission  to  God.  The 
Hindus  are  a  naturally  religious  people  ;  and 
the  resignation  and  patience  which  so  peculiarly 
characterize  them,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Brahman  caste,  predispose  them  to  the  recep- 
tion of  the  meek  and  lowly  Redeemer.  So 
much  on  the  theoretical  side. 

We  must  now  look  at  the  practical  working 
of  tlie  system  in  the  connnon  life  of  the  people. 
It  is  not  a  congenial  task  to  point  out  the  weak- 
ness and  failure  of  religious  conceptions  which 
are  accepted  b}'  nearly  one-fifth  of  the  human 
race.  It  would  be  far  more  agreeable  at  this 
point  to  seek  to  discover  something  pure  and 
lielpful  in  the  practices  of  Brahmanism,  if  this 


106 


LUX  CHEISTI 


were  honestly  possible.  The  curse  of  India  is, 
that  its  gods  are  the  base  productions  of  the 
polluted  imaginations  of  its  people. 

Apologists  for  Hinduism 

Great  in  the  past  has  been  the  restraint  of 
missionaries  and  travellers.  Too  great,  perhaps, 
in  view  of  the  glamour  which  certain  cham- 
pions of  Hinduism  have  of  late  striven  to  throw 
over  it.  As  if  by  tacit  consent,  the  darker  fea- 
tures of  Hindu  worship  have  been  left  shrouded 
in  silence  and  mystery,  as  being  too  repulsive  to 
mention.  It  has  been  reserved,  however,  until 
these  later  days  for  civilized  and  Christianized 
men  and  women  to  dream  of  apologizing  for 
idolatry  and  the  nameless  rites  of  Hindu  shrines. 
But  the  time  has  now  come  when  idolatry  is  not 
only  apologized  for  as  an  innocent  aid  to  devo- 
tion, but  the  system  of  which  it  is  the  concrete 
expression  is  idealized,  when  it  is  even  held  \ip, 
and  not  in  vain,  for  the  admiration  of  the  Chris- 
tian world.  These  tendencies  are  leading  to  a 
distinctly  felt  reaction  and  to  a  crisis  in  the 
history  of  missionary  endeavor  which  a  gener- 
ation ago  no  one  could  have  foreseen. 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  tlie  apologists 
for  Brahmanism  who  have  gained  influence  in 
England  and  America,  even  though  tliey  be 
Brahman  priests  have  been  trained  in  Englisli 
schools  and  sliaped  by  English  environment, 
until  they  have  learned  how  to  present  their 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE  107 


system  in  a  foi-m  artfully  idealized  to  suit  the 
western  mind,  and  stripped  for  the  time  being 
of  all  repulsive  features. 

Idolatry 

However  subtle  their  pantheism  in  theory, 
in  practice  the  Hindus  are  grossly  idolatrous. 
Straightforward  Hindu  testimony  utterly  dis- 
j)roves  the  fine-spun  theories  of  Brahman  apolo- 
gists. Over  and  over  do  the  heathen  themselves 
testify  that  the  material  form  of  the  idol  fills 
the  mind  and  unfits  it  for  any  spiritual  concep- 
tion. "Idolatry  is  the  curse  of  Hindustan," 
s;iys  Keshub  Chunder  Sen,  "  the  deadly  canker 
^\•]uch  has  eaten  into  the  vitals  of  native  society." 

The  famous  Rajah  Rammohuu  Roy  says  :  "  I 
liave  observed  that  both  in  their  writings  and 
(onversation  many  Europeans  feel  a  wish  to 
palliate  and  soften  the  features  of  Hindu  idola- 
1 1  y,  and  are  inclined  to  inculcate  the  idea  that 
;ill  objects  of  worship  are  considered  by  their 
votaries  as  emblematical  representatives  of  the 
Supreme  Divinity.  The  truth  is,  the  ffindus  of 
tin',  present  day  have  no  such  vieiv  of  it.  Neither 
do  the  Hindus  regard  the  images  of  their  gods 
merely  in  the  liglit  of  instruments  for  elevating 
the  mind  lo  the  conception  of  those  supposed 
beings;  they  are  simply  in  themselves  made  ob- 
jects of  tvorship'^ 

It  is  well  to  put  this  statement  of  a  learned 
Hindu  beside  the  futile  benevolence  of  Sir  Edwin 


108 


LUX  CHRISTI 


Arnold,  who  describes  the  Brahman  priests  in 
the  temples  at  Benares  giving  him  "  flower 
wreaths  from  the  necks  of  their  idols  and 
smiling  assent  when  I  said  that  no  'Twice- 
born  '  who  had  read  his  Bhagavad-Gita  could 
believe  in  stone  Mahadeos  (Sivas)  and  wooden 
Gunpatis  (Ganesas)  except  as  symbols." 

Truly  if  all  that  is  wanted  in  defence  of 
Hinduism  is  a  "smile  of  assent"  in  response 
to  a  leading  question,  the  defence  may  not  be 
lacking. 

The  Singer  of  the  "Light  of  Asia,"  who  is 
certainlynot  biassed  by  anti-Hindu  prejudice,  fur- 
ther tells  us  that  while  "  Sakya-Muni's  teaching 
did  away  with  the  bloody  rites  of  the  Brahmanic 
period,  there  are  still  immolations  of  a  sad  kind 
practised  secretly  in  India.  The  Bheels  and 
Chamars  cast  themselves  occasionally  from  lofty 
rocks  near  Jairad,  hoping  to  be  Rajalis  in  the  next 
state  of  life.  In  1877  a  GcJsain  of  Benares  sac- 
rificed a  boy  of  twelve  in  order  to  discover  treas- 
ure. In  1883  a  Banya  family  of  twelve  persons 
committed  suicide  in  unison  to  '  please  the 
gods,' "  etc.  Indifference  to  sufJering  and  to 
human  life  are  deeply  ingrained  in  the  disposi- 
tions of  the  people,  less  from  cruelty  than  from 
fatalistic  apathy. 

Animal  and  Plant  Worship 

Again  Sir  Edwin  Arnold  exclaims :  "  One 
cannot  be  a  day  in  this  land  without  observing 


THE  OFT-COyqUEEED  PEOPLE  100 


how  the  ancient  worship  of  the  coiv  still  holds  the 
minds  of  the  Hindus.  .  .  .  Good  Brahmans  will 
feed  a  cow  before  they  take  their  own  breakfast, 
exclaiming,  'Daughter  of  Surabhi,  formed  of  five 
elements,  auspicious,  pure,  and  holy,  sprung  from 
the  sun,  accept  this  food  from  me.  Salutation 
and  peace  ! '  Everything  which  comes  from  the 
cow  is  sacred  and  purifying,  —  the  droppings  are 
plastered  with  water  over  the  floors  and  veran- 
das of  all  native  houses  and  upon  the  cooking 
places ;  the  ashes  of  the  same  commodity  are 
used  with  coloring  powders  to  mark  the  fore- 
heads, necks,  and  arms  of  the  pious,"  etc. 

So  efficiently  hallowing  is  the  cow  in  popular 
esteem  that  the  serious  pollution  of  a  visit  to 
England  may  be  done  away  by  the  penance  of 
Santapana,  i.e.  by  swallowing  a  pill  composed  of 
the  five  products  of  the  sacred  beast.  There  is 
a  famous  Hindu  saying,  "  There  are  many  sects 
in  India,  but  upon  two  main  points  we  all  agree, 
—  the  sanctity  of  the  cow  and  the  depravity  of 
women." 

The  bull  ranks  next  to  the  cow,  and  the  wor- 
ship of  snakes  and  monkeys  is  universally  prev- 
alent. Hanuinau,  the  black-faced  monkey-goil. 
is  the  especial  guardian  of  Mahratta  villages. 

Witchcraft  and  demoniacal  possession  enter 
essentially  into  the  common  consideration  of  the 
people,  whose  superstition  is  wellnigh  incredi- 
ble, and  who  are  at  the  mercy  of  the  most 
appalling  and  sickening  fears. 


110 


LUX  CHRISTI 


The  fish,  the  tortoise,  and  the  bear  are  wor- 
shipped as  incarnations  of  Vishnu.  The  slirub 
called  tulasi,  or  holy  basil,  is  regarded  as  divine, 
and  is  par  excellence  a  woman's  deity.  The 
pipal  tree  is  supposed  to  be  a  residence  of  the 
god  Brahma,  and  is  sometimes  invested  with 
the  sacred  thread,  all  the  ceremonies  of  investi- 
ture being  performed  over  it.  The  bilva  tree, 
with  its  triple  leaf,  is  sacred  to  Siva,  and  its 
leaves  are  continually  placed  on  the  ling  and 
on  the  bull. 

Water  Worship 

Running  water  is  everywhere  held  to  be 
"instinct  with  deity."  The  famous  Ganges 
("  Mother  Gunga  ")  is  the  holiest  river  of  In- 
dia. "No  sin  is  too  heinous  to  be  removed,  no 
character  too  black  to  be  washed  clean  by  its 
waters."  Countless  temples  line  its  banks : 
countless  priests  stand  ready  to  aid  the  wor- 
shippers in  their  ablutions.  The  couflvix  of  tlic 
Jumna  and  the  Ganges  is  the  very  holy  of 
holies  to  the  Hindu.  Bottles  of  Ganges  watei- 
are  sent  to  all  parts  of  the  country,  and  have 
been  used  by  local  justices  in  administering 
oaths  side  by  side  with  the  Christian  Bible 
and  the  Koi'an.  The  Narbada  River  is  also 
counted  peculiarly  sacred.  Death  on  the  banks 
of  either  of  these  rivers  is  ardently  desired 
by  every  orthodox  Hindu. 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE  111 


Goddess  Worship 

Yet  lower  than  all  forms  of  nature  worship 
is  that  of  the  female  principle,  or  goddess  wor- 
ship, of  which  Monier  Williams,  the  famous 
Sanskrit  scholar,  writes  as  follows  :  "  It  might 
lave  been  expected  that  a  creed  which  admits 
of  an  infinite  multiplication  of  female  deities 
would  be  likely  to  degenerate  into  various 
:orms  of  licentiousness  on  the  one  hand  and 
of  witchcraft  on  the  other.  In  Saktism  we  are 
indeed  confronted  with  the  worst  results  of  the 
worst  superstitious  ideas  that  have  ever  dis- 
graced and  degraded  the  human  race.  It  is 
by  offering  to  women  the  so-called  homage  of 
sensual  love  and  carnal  passion,  and  by  jield- 
ing  free  course  to  all  the  grosser  appetites, 
wholly  regardless  of  social  rules  and  restric- 
tions, that  the  worshippers  of  the  female  power 
(Sakti)  in  nature  seek  to  gratify  the  goddess. 
Incredible  as  it  may  appear,  these  so-called 
worshippers  actually  affect  to  pride  themselves 
on  their  debasing  doctrines,  because  to  indulge 
the  grosser  appetites  and  passions,  with  the 
mind  fixed  on  union  with  the  Supreme  Being, 
is  believed  to  be  the  highest  of  all  pious 
achievements." 

These  detestable  rites  of  Saktism  are  known 
as  the  "left-liaud"  method  of  worship,  and 
the  initiated  call  themselves  "■  the  perfect 
ones." 


112 


LUX  CHRISTI 


Distorted  Conceptions 

"  These  are  our  gods  !  "  cry  the  Hindus  com- 
placently, as  they  point  to  the  monkey-faced 
Hanuman,  the  elephant-headed  Ganesa,  tlie 
unspeakable  Linga,  the  shapeless  Mata  Devi, 
the  bloodthirsty  Kali,  the  licentious  Krishna, 
and  many  millions  more.  No  religion  known 
to  humanity  possesses  a  subtler  mysticism,  com- 
bined with  a  more  manifold  or  more  brutal 
pollution,  than  does  Hinduism.  "The  grave 
Brahman  will  unreel  you  systems  of  metaphys- 
ics compared  with  which  tlie  '  Critique  of  Pure 
Reason '  is  simple  and  concrete ;  then  he  will 
depart  and  make  his  offering  to  a  three-headed 
goddess  covered  with  grease  and  red  paint." 

Undoubtedly  the  popular  Krishna  has  done 
more  for  the  debauclicry  of  Hindu  youth  tliar 
any  other  god  or  demigod.  He  was  the  eight!; 
great  avatar  of  Vishnu,  and  his  cult  is  one  ol 
the  most  modern  as  well  as  most  universal  oi 
the  Hindu  system.  His  jovial  democratic  na- 
ture and  limitless  amours  seem  to  endear  hiir 
peculiarly  to  the  mind  of  the  lower  classes. 
The  story  of  his  life  and  the  details  of  his  wor- 
ship are  unfit  to  print  or  read. 

Brindaban,  the  unholy  city,  famed  as  the  birth- 
place of  Krishna,  is  the  seat  of  one  tliousanc 
temples  to  this  most  popular  deity.  Hundred! 
of  thousands  of  Hindus  make  pilgrimage  to  i  j 
every  year.    It  is  one  of  the  vilest  cities  oi 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE  113 


earth.  Six  thousand  girls,  mostly  child-widows, 
serve  as  temple  prostitutes  in  the  Krishna  ser- 
vice. The  devotees  on  the  occasions  of  these, 
as  of  most  of  the  great  festivals,  give  them- 
[selves  up  to  the  vilest  orgies,  equal  in  grovelling 
sensuality  to  those  of  the  ancient  Baal  and 
Ashtaroth  worship.  Heathenism  remains  now- 
as  of  old  a  filthy  abomination. 

A  very  curious  coalition  of  Brahman  and 
Buddhistic  doctrines  is  found  in  the  Vaishnava 
worship  of  Jagan-nath,  literally  "the  Lord  of 
the  World."  The  apostle  of  this  cult  was 
Caitanya,  a  contemporary  of  Lutlier,  who  lived 
for  many  years  at  Pouri  in  Orissa,  in  close 
proximity  to  the  temple  of  this  most  uncouth  of 
ieities.  The  triple  image  of  Jagan-nath  repre- 
sents without  doubt  the  Brahman  Tri-murti^ 
whereas  his  car  festival  is  a  re[)roduction  of 
;he  Tooth  Festival  of  the  Buddhists.  The  most 
ugnificant  features  of  this  festival,  furthermore, 
the  temj)orary  abolition  of  caste  and  the  worship 
jf  relics  (Krishna's  bones  are  supposed  to  re- 
jose  inside  the  image),  are  essentially  non- 
3ralnnan  and  Buddhistic.  The  former  suicide 
)f  Brahman  fanatics,  by  throwing  themselves 
inder  tlie  wheels  of  the  car  of  Jagan-nath,  is 
»ow  forcibly  prevented  by  mounted  policemen, 
lyho  guard  the  annual  processions. 
I  It  is  impossible  to  pass  over  in  silence  tlie 
hirty  millions  of  Linga  scattered  everywhere 
hrough  India,  as  the  Moliammedans  found 
I 


114 


LUX  CHRISTI 


them  in  the  seventh  century,  by  the  roadside 
on  temple  walls,  and  on  idol  chariots.  Thif 
phallic  emblem  is  the  symbol  of  Siva,  th( 
regenerator,  and  is  thought  by  some  theorists 
and  scholars  to  be  wholly  mystical  in  meaning 
and  not  to  involve  sensual  ideas.  To  thost 
who  have  lived  long,  however,  in  India,  anc 
have  observed  the  intimate  working  of  Lingf 
worship,  it  is  plainly  seen  to  be  the  source  oi 
much  of  the  impurity  of  life  and  corruption  oi 
morals.  A  certain  small  temple  at  Benares, 
with  its  spire  overlaid  with  gold,  contains  a 
stone  lingam  so  sacred  that  to  have  performed 
acts  of  worship  before  it  once  in  one's  lifetime 
insures  entry  to  the  Brahmanic  paradise.  Tliis 
revolting  symbol  is  the  focus  of  the  great  an- 
nual pilgrimage  to  Benares.  Here  the  eagei 
worshippers  throng  by  the  thousand,  prostrat- 
ing themselves  before  the  emblem  and  drinking 
from  the  "  holy  well "  of  Siva,  hard  by,  draughts 
of  fetid,  greenish  water. 

Said  a  well-known  lecturer  on  India,  writing 
on  the  spot  in  1881 :  "  India  is  so  much  worst 
than  any  one  can  describe  it ;  the  people  are  so 
much  more  vile  than  can  be  imagined ;  the 
forms  of  vice  are  all  so  disgusting !  If  you 
will  consider  that  for  generations  every  power 
that  wicked  imaginations  can  devise  has  beer 
used  to  develop  tlie  lowest  passions  of  both  men 
and  women,  when  the  most  widely  worshipped 
god  is  the  mere  personification  of  the  most  de- 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE  115 


basing  of  sins,  you  can  imagine  the  condition  of 
things." 

We  have  purposely  drawn  the  statements 
given  above  from  sources  almost  wholly  secular, 
non-partisan,  and  non-missionary.  They  are 
the  undeniable  facts  of  common  observation 
familiar  to  all  residents  in  India  and  students 
of  Hinduism. 

Religion  divorced  from  Morality 

Perhaps  the  most  significant  characteristic  of 
Hinduism,  as  it  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  for 
the  Occidental  mind  to  grasp,  is  its  utter  divorce 
of  morality  and  i-eligion.  The  duties  of  life, 
says  a  recent  writer,  "  are  never  inculcated  in 
any  Hindu  temple,  nor  are  any  prayers  ever 
offered  for  divine  help  in  the  performance  of 
duty.  It  would  be  hard  indeed  even  to  con- 
ceive the  possibility  of  prayer  for  purity  being 
offered  in  a  Hindu  temple  to  a  divinity  sur- 
rounded by  a  bevy  of  dancing-girls."  To  meet 
with  a  devout  Hindu  who  leads  a  flagrantly 
immoral  life  is  a  cause  for  no  surprise  or  com- 
ment. The  Hindu  believes  that  a  religious 
motive  justifies  every  immorality,  however 
gross.  To  abstain  from  certain  meats  and 
drinks,  to  avoid  ceremonial  defilement,  are 
sacred  duties,  while  lying  and  stealing  and 
every  form  of  deception  are  matters  of  indiffer- 
ence to  the  gods  ;  indeed,  immorality  has  their 
explicit  sanction.    The  common  failings  of  the 


116 


LUX  CHRISTI 


Hindu  people  are  accordingly  deceitfulness 
and  immorality.  Unhappily  the  government 
schools,  while  increasing  the  spread  of  knowl- 
edge, never  touch  upon  ethics  in  any  form,  and 
have  thus  far  proved  powerless  to  elevate  the 
moral  tone  of  the  people. 

Public  Woi'ship 

There  is  among  the  Hindus,  aside  from  the 
great  assemblies  of  the  high  festivals,  no  such 
thing  as  a  worshipping  and  listening  congrega- 
tion. Hindu  temples  have  no  accommodations 
for  such,  the  average  temple  being  commonly 
only  about  ten  feet  square,  just  large  enough  for 
the  image  it  shelters  and  the  priest  who  oiUci- 
ates  at  tlie  altar.  None  of  them,  not  even  the 
enormous  pagodas  of  southern  India,  are  ar- 
ranged with  a  view  to  an  audience.  The  people 
simply  make  their  genuflexions  and  offerings, 
and  pass  on. 

It  must  be  understood  that  not  all  the  gods 
in  the  Hindu  system  are  worshipped  alike  in  all 
parts  of  India.  Each  god  has  his  own  following, 
limited  by  locality,  class,  or  sect,  although  many 
of  the  pco])le  adopt  a  large  number  of  deities. 
Of  the  Tri-murti,  liralima,  Siva,  and  Vishnu, 
the  former  is  not  often  made  a  subject  of  wor- 
ship ;  Siva  is  tlie  ruling  god  in  central  and 
northwestern  India;  Vishnu  is  usually  wor- 
shipped in  one  of  his  incarnations.  Worship- 
pers of  Siva  usually  bear  upon  the  forehead 


THE  OFT-COyQUEIiED  PEOPLE  117 


three  horizontal  mai-ks  made  with  w  hite  ashes. 
An  upriglit  mark,  briglit  red,  yellow,  and  white, 
stamps  the  follower  of  Vishnu. 

The  essence  of  religion  in  the  popular  mind 
is  to  punctiliously  keep  caste,  and  by  "  gaining 
merit in  various  ways  to  ward  off  as  many 
rebirtlis  of  the  allotted  eight  millions  as  pos- 
sible. Fear  is  the  universally  ruling  principle 
in  religion;  its  outworking  the  desii'e  for  pro- 
pitiation. 

Acquiring  Merit 

"A  few,"  says  one  familiar  with  India  by 
long  residence,  "an  almost  infinitesimal  few, 
by  austerities  and  prayers,  are  really  seeking 
freedom  from  sin  ;  but  the  masses  of  both  high 
and  low  do  not  realize  the  disintegrating  and 
decaying  action  of  sin  on  the  soul.  Most  are 
trying  to  propitiate  the  evil  spirits,  or  bribe  the 
better  ones  to  grant  temporal  blessings." 

Pilgrimages  of  incredible  length  and  diffi- 
culty constitute  a  favorite  method  for  "  gaining 
merit."  To  journey  on  foot  from  the  mouth 
of  the  sacred  river  Ganges  to  its  source  and 
back  again,  occupying  six  weary  j^ars,  is  sup- 
posed to  secure  extraordinary  purification  and 
favor  with  the  gods. 

Mohammedan  Wursship 

In  the  Mohammedan  mosque  there  are  no 
idols,  not  even  a  symbolic  suggestion,  for  the 
Mussulman   is   strictly  non-idolatrous.  Five 


118 


LUX  CHRISTI 


times  a  day  comes  the  impressive  call  to  pra3'er, 
begiuning  with  the  first  flush  of  dawn,  Prayer 
is  more  than  sleep  —  is  more  than  sleep.'''  Per- 
haps no  class  of  men  can  be  found  more  scrupu- 
lous in  the  performance  of  their  religious  forms 
than  are  the  ]Mohammedans,  but  their  religion 
leaves  heart  and  character  untouched,  un- 
changed. Nevertheless,  when  compared  with 
the  disgusting  rites  of  Hindu  temples,  the  wor- 
ship in  a  Moslem  mosque  presents  a  tranquilliz- 
ing and  almost  spiritual  semblance.  Women 
are  never  admitted  to  the  mosques. 

It  is  said  that  the  great  difficulty  in  reaching 
Moslems  with  the  message  of  the  Gospel  is 
tlieir  dislike,  amounting  to  disgust,  of  the 
practical  idolatry  of  the  old  churches  of  the 
East.  Moslems  abhor  image  worship,  and  in 
the  old  churches  they  behold  pictures  and 
images  of  Marj-  and  the  saints,  before  which  the 
worshippers  bow  down  in  homage.  This  is 
abliorrent  to  the  Moslem,  and  he  associates  this 
idolatry  of  the  Greek  and  Roman  branches  of 
the  Church  with  Christianity. 

Buddhist  Worship 

The  practice  of  the  worship  of  Buddha  in 
India  is  confined  to  the  borders  of  Thibet,  to 
Burma,  and  to  Ceylon,  and  as  it  affects  so  small 
a  portion  of  the  Indian  people,  it  must  be  left 
to  the  consideration  of  a  succeeding  volume. 
lUuldhism  in  its  outworking  is  but  slightly 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE  119 


in  ,'icivaiice  of  Hinduism,  since  the  images  of 
Buddha  aie  practically  objects  of  idolatry,  and 
the  temple  service  is  alwa3s  accompanied  by 
Xat  or  spirit-worship,  while  the  spinning  of 
prayer  wheels  and  the  flutter  of  prayer  flags 
I'l  um  poles  and  tree-tops  bespeak  its  superstitious 
character.  Certain  superficial  resemblances  to 
Roman  Catholicism  are  to  be  seen  in  Buddhism, 
such  as  the  use  of  rosaries,  the  worship  of 
relics,  the  prevalence  of  monasteries,  and  celi- 
Itcite  orders  of  monks  and  nuns.  The  Buddhist 
])i  iesthood  is  notoriously  corrupt,  and  life  in  the 
monasteries  has  reached  the  point  of  depravity 
w  hich  has  provoked,  complaint  to  the  govern- 
ment. Buddhist  temples  are  often  on  a  vast 
;uid  imposing  scale,  iii  contrast  to  the  narrow 
shrines  of  Hinduism. 

Parsi  Customs  regarding  the  Dead 

The  Parsis  have  been  spoken  of  as  a  superior 
race  in  culture,  intelligence,  and  aptitude  for 
civilization.  They  retain,  however,  the  most 
barbaric  burial  customs  known  perhaps  to 
humanity.  In  broad,  low  towers,  known  as 
"  Towers  of  Silence,"  in  which  iron  grates  are 
stretched  to  receive  them,  their  dead  are  exposed 
naked,  out  of  sight  or  reach  of  all  living,  to  the 
ravages  of  tlie  vultures  whic-h  perch  round  the 
walls  ready  to  gorge  themselves  in  horrid  greed 
upon  their  prey. 

Thus  even  in  the  milder  and  less  corrupt 


120 


LUX  cnmsTi 


forms  of  lieathenism  we  find  some  abhorrent 
and  depraved  features.  Everywhere  in  India 
is  a  strange  lurking  mystery  of  dark  deeds; 
impassive  apathy  to  suffering  inconceivable  to 
the  Occidental  mind ;  deep  treachery,  and  un- 
seen, unrecorded  crime. 

Caste 

No  influence  is  more  potent  in  the  bondage 
of  the  people  to  this  darkened  mind  than  is 
the  mighty  thraldom  of  caste.  "  On  all  sides 
you  see  the  observance  of  minute  caste  rules," 
writes  Margaret  Denning.  "  You  offer  some 
bread  or  food  to  a  hungry  child ;  he  refuses, 
but  implores  you  to  give  him  money,  as  he  can 
buy  raw  grain  and  prepare  it  himself,  so  it  will 
not  be  contaminated  by  your  touch.  Your  cor- 
dial handshake  is  refused  by  the  Zenana  womcji 
for  fear  it  will  entail  an  extra  bath  of  purifica- 
tion before  they  can  prepare  the  next  meal. 
Many  castes  dare  not  even  receive  a  card  from 
your  hand.  You  must  first  lay  it  down,  and 
then  the  other  is  free  to  lift  it  up."  The  caste 
system  has  extended  in  considerable  measure  to 
the  Mohammedans,  as  in  turn  the  Moslem  seclu- 
sion of  women  has  been  taken  on  by  the  Hindus. 

Among  the  major  evils  proceeding  from  caste 
are  [jhysical  degeneracy,  owing  to  the  narrow- 
ing circles  wherein  marriage  is  permitted  ;  the 
destruction  of  all  sense  of  human  brotherhood 
by  the  actual  consecration  of  class  liatred  ;  the 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE  121 


intellectual  stagnation  involved  in  the  fact  that 
the  liighest  caste  alone,  the  Brahmans,  are  con- 
sidered fit  to  read  and  to  teach. 

I7ie  Brahmans 

As  laid  down  in  the  Code  of  Manu,  the  whole 
system  of  caste  is  but  an  organized  scheme  for 
the  protection  of  the  Brahmans  in  their  colossal 
selfishness.  "Since  the  Brahman  sprang  from 
the  most  excellent  part,  since  he  has  the  priority 
arising  from  primogeniture,  and  since  he  pos- 
sesses the  Veda,  he  is  hy  right  the  lord  of  this 
whole  creation.'"    (Code  of  Manu.) 

Tlie  Brahmans  are  never  in  danger  of  pov- 
erty, as  they  have  always  been  careful  to  make 
the  efficacy  of  all  rites  which  they  administer 
dependent  upon  the  gifts  with  which  they  are 
accompanied.  In  an  emergency  the  Brahman 
is  directed  to  obey  the  following  rule  :  "  Against 
misfortune  let  him  preserve  his  wealth  ;  at  the 
expense  of  his  wealth  let  him  preserve  his  wife  ; 
but  let  him  at  all  events  preserve  himself,  even 
at  the  hazard  of  his  wife  and  his  riches." 

There  are  four  stages  in  the  life  of  the  Brah- 
man as  laid  down  in  the  Code  of  Manu  :  — 

1.  The  investiture  of  the  sacred  thread, 
which  signifies  second  birth,  in  his  eighth  year. 

2.  The  married  state. 

3.  The  hermit  life. 

4.  The  devotee. 

The  sacred  cord,  in  the  case  of  the  Brahman, 


122 


LUX  CHRISTI 


consists  of  three  slender  cotton  threads,  each 
consisting  of  three  finer  threads  tightly  twisted 
into,  one,  and  tied  together  in  a  sacred  knot 
of  peculiar  construction.  The  cord  is  worn 
over  the  left  shoulder  and  allowed  to  hangr 
down  diagonally  across  the  body  to  the  right 
hip.  So  soon  as  the  Hindu  boy  has  been  made 
regenerate  by  the  solemn  putting  on  of  this 
mystic  symbol,  his  religious  education  and 
spiritual  life  are  held  to  begin.  It  is  only  after 
he  has  been  invested  with  the  sacred  thread 
that  he  has  a  right  to  the  title  "  Twice-born," 
or  can  read  or  recite  the  Veda,  or  be  known  by 
the  name  Brahman. 

The  four  original  divisions  of  caste  have  been 
almost  infinitely  subdivided,  the  Brahman  caste 
alone  being  divided  into  1886  subcastes. 

Yogis 

There  is  in  India  a  large  class  of  devotees, 
drawn  in  part  but  by  no  means  altogether  from 
the  Brahman  caste.  These  ascetics  do  no  work, 
do  not  teach,  do  good  to  no  one.  Their  lives 
are  spent  in  wandering  from  shrine  to  shrine, 
almost  if  not  entirely  naked,  their  bodies 
smeared  with  ashes,  begging  gifts.  Self-in- 
flicted cruelties  of  an  appalling  character  are 
common  among  them  ;  the  most  abnormal  of 
tliese,  lianging  from  hooks  thrust  through  the 
flesli,  lias  been  proliibited  by  the  English  gov- 
ernment.   Most  of  tliese  devotees  have  reduced 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE  123 


themselves  to  a  mental  condition  bordering  on 
idiocy.  The  milder  form  of  asceticism  from 
which  these  fakirs  have  drawn  their  revolting 
practices  is  known  as  Yoga,  a  system  of  philos- 
ophy unworthy  the  name,  the  aim  of  which  is 
the  union  of  the  human  soul  with  the  Supreme 
by  the  suppression  of  all  thought,  by  intense 
concentration  on  nothing,  and  the  constant  repe- 
tition of  the  mystical  word  "Om." 

Conclusion 

As  we  look  back  over  the  conditions,  racial, 
social,  religious,  here  so  rapidly  sketched,  India 
seems  to  lie  before  us,  vast,  dusky,  unintelligi- 
ble, peopled  by  swarming  races  of  enfeebled 
men  and  oppressed  women.  Out  of  dimness 
;uid  confusion  incoherent  voices  reach  us,  wail- 
ing, mocking,  imploring;  spirits  that  peep  and 
mutter  flit  through  the  gloom ;  famine,  pesti- 
lence, and  crime  glide  by  like  spectres;  in  myste- 
rious temples  silent  priestesses  attend  upon  rites 
which  no  man  can  name ;  cruelty,  oppression, 
the  lethargy  of  fatalism,  lie  like  a  pall  over  the 
great  gray  land.  The  spirit  sinks  under  the 
almost  hopeless  gloom. 

"  At  last  r  li(;ar(l  a  voicr;  upon  llio  slope 
Cry  to  the  suriiiiiit,  '  Is  there  any  hope? ' 
To  which  an  answer  peal'd  from  that  high  land, 
But  in  a  tongue  no  man  could  iind<;rstand : 
And  on  tluj  glimmering  limit  far  willidrawn 
God  made  Himself  an  awful  rose  of  dawn." 


124 


LUX  cmusTi 


ILLUSTRATIVE  SELECTIONS 

Concerning  the  Beauties  of  Hinduism 

The  great  majority  of  the  populatioii  of  India  con- 
sists of  idolaters,  blindly  attached  to  doctrines  and  rites 
which,  considered  merely  with  reference  to  the  temporal 
interests  of  mankind,  are  in  the  highest  degree  pernicions. 
In  no  part  of  the  world  has  a  religion  ever  existed  more 
unfavorable  to  the  moral  and  intellectual  health  of  our 
race.  The  Brahmanical  mythology  is  so  absurd  that  it 
necessarily  debases  every  mind  which  receives  it  as  truth ; 
and  with  this  absurd  mythology  is  bound  up  an  absurd 
system  of  physics,  an  absurd  geography,  an  absurd 
astronomy.  Nor  is  tliis  form  of  paganism  more  favor- 
able to  art  than  to  science.  Through  tlie  whole  Hindu 
pantheon  you  will  look  in  vain  for  anything  resembling 
those  beautiful  and  majestic  forms  which  stood  in  the 
slirines  of  ancient  Greece.  All  is  hideous  and  grotesque 
and  ignoble.  As  this  superstition  is  of  all  superstitions 
the  most  irrational  and  the  most  inelegant,  so  it  is  of  all 
superstitions  the  most  immoral.  Emblems  of  vice  are 
objects  of  public  worship.  The  courtesans  are  as  much 
a  part  of  the  establishment  of  the  temple,  as  much  the 
ministers  of  the  gods,  as  the  priests.  Acts  of  vice  are 
acts  of  public  worship.  Crimes  against  life,  crimes 
against  projierty,  are  not  only  permitted  but  enjoined  by 
this  odious  theology.  But  for  our  interference,  human 
victims  would  still  be  offered  to  the  Ganges,  and  the 
widow  would  still  be  laid  on  the  pile  with  the  corpse  of 
her  husband,  and  burned  alive  by  her  own  children.  It 
is  by  the  command  and  under  the  special  protection 
of  one  of  the  most  powerful  goddesses  that  the  Thugs 
join  themselves  to  the  unsuspecting  traveller,  make 
friends  with  him,  slip  the  noose  round  his  neck,  plunge 
tlunr  knives  into  his  eyes,  hide  him  in  the  earth,  and 
divide  liis  money  and  baggage. —  Lord  Macaulay, 
Member  of  the  Supreme  Council  of  Calcutta,  1834-1838. 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE  125 


I  hare  lived  so  long  in  a  land  where  the  people  wor- 
ship cows,  that  I  do  not  make  much  of  the  differences 
wliich  separate  Christians  from  Christians. 

—  LoKD  Macaulay. 


Words  of  a  Kashmiri  Pundit 

To  live  for  three  or  four  years  in  a  society  in  which 
men  and  women  meet,  not  as  masters  and  slttves,  but  as 
friends  and  companions —  in  wliich  feminine  culture  adds 
grace  and  beauty  to  the  lives  of  men;  to  live  in  a  society 
in  which  the  prosaic  hours  of  hard  work  are  relieved  by 
the  companionship  of  a  sweet  and  educated  wife,  sister,  or 
mother,  is  the  most  necessary  discipline  required  by  our 
Indian  j'outlis  in  order  that  they  niay  be  able  to  shake 
off  tlieir  old  notions  and  to  look  upon  an  accomplished 
womanhood  as  the  salt  of  human  society  which  preserves 
it  from  moral  decay.  There  is  a  very  pernicious  notion 
prevalent  in  India,  that  a  free  intercourse  between  the 
sexes  leads  to  immorality.  I  confess  that  before  I  visited 
England  I  believed  there  was  some  truth  in  this  notion. 
But  now  I  believe  no  such  thing.  iNIy  own  impression  is 
that  the  chief  safety-valve  of  public  and  private  morality 
is  the  free  intercourse  between  the  sexes.  This  is  the 
sore  need  of  India,  and  we  hope  the  purdah  will  soon  be 
rent  in  twain  and  woman  be  emancipated. 


Life  in  the  Zenana 

I  have  lived  in  Zenanas  and  can  speak  from  experi- 
ence of  what  the  lives  of  .secluded  women  can  be,  —  the 
intellect  so  dwarfed  that  a  woman  of  twenty  or  thirty  is 
more  like  a  child,  while  all  the  wor.st  passions  of  human 
nature  are  developed  an<l  stimulated;  jealousy,  envy, 
murderous  hate,  intrigue;,  running  to  such  an  extent  that 
in  some  countries  I  liave  hardly  ever  been  in  a  woman's 


126 


LUX  cnniSTi 


house  without  being  asked  for  drugs  to  disfigure  the 
favorite  wife,  or  take  away  her  son's  life.  This  request 
has  been  made  of  me  nearly  one  hundred  times. 

—  Isabella  Bikd  Bishop. 

Hinduism  is  perliaps  the  only  system  of  belief  that  is 
worse  than  having  no  religion  at  all. 

—  De  Tocqueville. 


Nautch  Girls 

"  We  wish  to  note  with  great  pleasure  and  thankful- 
ness that  on  the  viceroy's  tour  through  soutliern  India 
he  was  noM'liere  greeted  by  tlie  nautch  girl.  She  used  to 
be  everywhere.  It  seemed  as  if  we  had  lost  the  faculty 
of  rejoicing  in  anything  without  dancing-girls.  The 
nautch  is  a  relic  of  the  barbaric  age,  when  greatness  was 
measured  by  luxury  and  voluptuousness.  It  is  devoutly 
to  be  wished  that  the  precedent  introduced  in  Lord 
Curzon's  tour  may  be  followed  in  all  future  receptions  of 
viceroys  and  governors,  and  that  India  will  show  to  the 
world  how  she  can  honor  greatness  without  dishonoring 
womanhood. —  From  the  Indian  Reformer. 


The  Ideal  Hindu  Wife 

A  wife  is  half  the  man,  his  truest  friend, 

A  loving  wife  is  a  perpetual  spring 

Of  virtue,  pleasure,  wealth  ;  a  faithful  wife 

Is  his  best  aid  in  seeking  heavenly  bliss; 

A  sweetly  speaking  wife  is  a  companion 

In  solitude,  a  father  in  advice, 

A  mother  in  all  seasons  of  distress, 

A  rest  in  jiassing  through  life's  wilderness. 

—  Maha-hharala. 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE 


111 


Those  believers  who  sit  still  at  home,  not  having  any 
hurt,  and  those  who  employ  their  fortune  and  their  per- 
sons for  the  religion  of  God,  shall  not  be  held  equal.  God 
hath  preferred  those  who  employ  their  fortunes  and  their 
persons  in  that  cause  to  a  degree  of  honor  above  those 
who  sit  at  home.  —  Koran. 


Moslem  and  Hixdu  Worship 

I  once  witnessed  a  very  imposing  spectacle  in  the 
great  mosque  at  Delhi  on  the  Moslem  sabbath.  Several 
hundred  Indian  Mohammedans  were  repeating  their 
prayers  in  concert.  They  were  in  their  best  attire  and 
fresh  from  their  ablutions,  and  their  concerted  genuflec- 
tions, the  subdued  murmur  of  their  many  voices,  and  the 
general  solemnity  of  their  demeanor,  rendered  the  whole 
service  most  impressive.  It  contrasted  strongly  with  the 
spectacle  which  I  witnessed  a  little  later  in  the  temple  of 
Siva,  in  Benares.  The  un.speakable  worship  of  the  linga ; 
the  scattering  of  rice  and  flowers,  and  the  pouring  of  liba- 
tions before  this  symbol ;  tlie  hanging  of  garlands  on  the 
horns  of  sacred  l)iil]s,  and  that  by  women;  the  rushing 
to  and  fro  tracking  the  filth  of  the  sacred  stables  into  the 
trodden  ooze  of  rice  and  flowers  which  covered  the  tem- 
ple pavements;  the  drawing  and  sipping  of  water  from 
the  adjacent  ces.spool  known  as  the  sacred  well ;  the  shout- 
ing and  striking  of  bells,  and  the  general  frenzy  of  the 
people —  all  this  could  be  considered  as  nothing  short  of 
wild  and  depraved  orgies.  If  we  must  choose,  give  us 
Islam  in  contrast  with  the  Siva  worship  of  India.  Yet 
Islam  has  no  salvation,  no  .scheme  of  grace,  no  great 
physician.  —  F.  F.  Ellinwood. 


A  I't  DDiiisT  Shrine 

Below  us,  to  the  right,  in  tlie  rough  Bhotia  village, 
stands  a  little  Hiiddliist  t('mi)l(!,  a  (•((mmon-Iooking  native 
house,  its  single  shabby  inside  room  decked  round  witii 


128  LUX  CHRISTI 

\ 

paintings  black  witli  age  and  unintelligible,  its  three 
tawdry  idols  hidden  behind  a  glass,  and  half  invisible  in 
the  darkness,  its  shelves  of  Bnddhist  scriptures  thick  with 
dust,  its  prayer  -wheels  slowly  grinding  round  "  Om-mam- 
padmi-hum." 

Again  in  thought  we  stand  upon  the  threshold  watch- 
ing the  lined,  dull,  hopeless  face  of  the  priest  as  with  a 
sweep  of  his  hand  he  sets  a  row  of  prayer  wheels,  each 
about  a  foot  in  height,  spinning  like  teetotums.  In  the 
entry  stands  a  heavy,  chestlike  wheel,  six  or  eight  feet 
high,  with  two  iron  projections,  which  ring  a  bell  each 
time  it  turns.  The  pleasant  old  wheel  turner  sets  it  in 
motion  with  an  indifferent  face,  chanting  as  it  slowly 
revolves.  We  glance  into  the  dark  interior,  and  back  at 
the  monotonous  grinding  of  the  great  wheel  with  its  bell, 
and  the  sing-song  mechanical  functions  of  the  priests.  A 
sense  of  the  poverty  and  blindness  of  the  faith  these 
represent  comes  over  us,  and  we  think  what  it  means 
that  just  such  temjiles  are  the  only  houses  of  prayer  to 
be  found  throughout  Thibet,  Bhotan,  and  Nepal. 

—  Lucy  Guinness. 

Interlude 

Onv  cattle  reel  beneath  the  yoke  they  bear, 
The  earth  is  iron  and  the  skies  are  brass, 

And  faint  with  fervor  of  the  flaming  air 
The  languid  hours  pass. 

The  well  is  dry  beneath  the  village  trees. 

The  young  wheat  withers  ere  it  reach  a  span,  i 

And  belts  of  blinding  sand  show  cruelly 
AVhere  once  the  river  ran. 

Pray,  brothers,  pray,  but  to  no  earthly  king. 
Lift  up  your  hands  above  the  blighted  grain, 

Look  westward ;  if  they  please,  the  gods  shall  bring 
Their  mercy  with  the  rain. 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE  129 


Look  westward ;  bears  the  blue  no  brown  cloud  bank  ? 

Nay,  it  is  written  —  wherefore  shall  we  fly? 
On  our  own  field  and  by  our  cattle's  flank 

Lie  down,  lie  down  to  die.  —  Hcdyakd  Kiplixg. 


Starving  India 

The  only  persons  of  white  blood  in  India  who  know 
^.'.11  at  is  actually  going  on  are  the  missionaries,  for  they 
about  quietly  everywhere,  see  everything,  and  cannot 
•  deceived  nor  put  off  the  scent  by  the  native  subor- 
dinates. .  .  .    Yet  what  a  missionary  .says  would  not  be 
■pted  by  the  government  if  it  contradicted  the  reports 
its  own  agents.  ...    It  was  my  great  good  fortune 
tij  be  thrown  with  the  missionaries  from  the  start;,  and 
I  was  able  to  compare  their  methods  and  knowledge 
with  those  of  the  government  people.    It  is  as  if  you 
uld  sit  with  tlie  audience  in  the  front  of  a  theatre 
I  witness  the  performance  from  that  point  of  view, 
aiid  then  should  go  behind  the  scenes  and  see  the  reality, 
'i  h(;  first  is  the  posture  of  the  government  people  ;  the 
laiter  that  of  the  missionaries.    It  is  the  government's 
rui.sfOrtune,  not  its  fault. 

«     -      «  *  *  «  * 

When  I  returned,  after  my  tour  to  Bombay,  and  made 
the  statement  that  eight  million  persons  had  already  died 
of  famine  and  disease  directly  caused  thereby,  I  was  met 
with  blank  incredulity.  But  I  know,  and  the  mission- 
aries know,  that  the  statement  is  within  tiie  truth. 
Eight  millions  —  nearly  twice  the  population  of  London  ! 
Think  if  you  can  of  this  number  of  persons  slowly  turn- 
ing into  skeletons  and  dying  for  lack  of  food  —  and  no 
one  knowing  anything  about  it.  And  were  it  not  for 
the  heroic  and  un.selfish  efforts  that  England  is  making, 
this  stupendous  total  would  be  multiplied  by  two  or  even 
three.  —  Julian  Hawthorne. 

K 


130 


LUX  CHEISTI 


1 


THEMES  FOR  STUDY  OK  DISCUSSION 

I.  India's  Great  Famines  and  Plagues ;  their  Causes 

and  Preventive  ^Measures. 
II.  Comparison  between  the  Pearl  Mosque  at  Agra 
(Mohammedan),  the  Shwe  Dagon  at  Rangoon 
(Buddhist),  and  the  Great  Pagoda  of  Tan j ore 
(Hindu),  and  their  Respective  Worships. 

III.  Hindu  Characteristics  :  Physical,  Mental,  Moral. 

IV.  Famous  Festivals  and  Pilgrimages. 

V.  Benares  the  Holy  City  and  "  Mother  Guuga." 
VI.  Animal  and  Plant  Worship. 
VII.  Everyday  Life  of  English  Residents. 
VIII.  Hindu  and  Mohammedan  Social  Customs ;  Mar- 
riage and  Funeral  Rites,  etc. 
IX.  Life  behind  the  Purdah  or  in  the  Zenana. 
X.  Village  Life. 
XI.  Indian  Arts  and  Crafts. 

Xn.  The  Attitude  of  the  Indian  Peoples  toward  their 
British  Conquerors. 


BOOKS  OF  REFERENCE 

General  Reference  as  before 

Arnold's  "  India  Revisited,"  V,  VI,  VII. 
Chamberlain's  "  In  the  Tiger  Jungle,"  III,  X. 
Denning's  "  Mosaics  from  India."    For  all  but  II,  XII. 
Lady  Dufferiu's  "Our  Vice-regal  Life  in  India,"  III, 

VII,  VIII,  XI,  xn. 

Fergusson's  "  Indian  Architecture,"  II. 

Graham's  •'  Great  Temples  of  India.  Ceylon,  and  Burma," 

n. 

Guinness's  "  Across  India,"  I,  HI,  V,  VIII,  IX. 
Hawthorne's  Papers  on  India,  Cosmopolitan  Magazine, 
Vol.  XXIII,  fur  1,  III,  X. 


THE  OFT-CONQUERED  PEOPLE  131 


Kipling's  "Indian  Tales,"  "Plain  Tales  from  the  Hills," 

'•The  Day's  Work,"  I,  III,  V,  YII,  XII. 
Kipling's  "  Kim,"  HI,  VIII,  X,  XII. 
Kipling's  Poems,  III,  VII,  XII. 

Lt'onowens's  '•  Life  and  Travel  in  India,"  III,  VII,  VIII,  IX. 
.Maxwell's  "  The  Bishop's  Conversion;"  VII. 
Padmanji's  "  Once  Hindu,  now  Christian,"  I H,  VI,  VIII,  X. 
Rowe's  "Everyday  Life  in  India,"  I,  IV,  VIII,  XI. 
Russell's  "Village  Work  in  India,"  VIII.  X,  XI. 
Savory's  "  British  Sportswoman  in  India,"  III,  VII,  IX. 
Steevens's  "  In  India."    For  all  but  V,  IX. 
Thoburn's  "  India  and  Malaysia,"  III,  VII,  IX,  XII. 
Wilkins's  "  Daily  Life  and  Work  in  India."    For  all  but 

I,  II,  VII,  XII. 
Sir  M.  Williams's  "  Religious  Life  and  Thought  in  India." 

For  all  but  I,  IL  VII,  XII. 
Sir  M.  Williams's  "  India  and  the  Indians,"  III,  IV,  VIII, 

X,  XI. 


IMPORTANT  DATES  IN  THE  HISTORY  OF 
CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS  IN  INDIA 

1st  Century  a.d.    (Legendary.)    The  Apostle  Thomas. 
180-190 .  Pant;T3uus. 
300  etseq.    Nestorian  Missions. 

Three  Persian  Crosses. 
Islam  supreme  in  Western  Asia. 
The  Four  j\Iartyrs  of  Tliana. 
First  Portugnese  JVIissionaries. 
Francis  Xavier. 

Introduction,  of  the  Inquisition  into  Portu- 
guese Missions  at  Goa. 
Akhar,  a  Patron  of  Christianity. 
Dutch  Protestant  ]\Iissions  established. 
The  Jesuit  Fathers  of  Madura. 
First  English  Church  founded. 
First  Danish  Lutheran  Missionary,  Ziegen- 
balg. 

Schwartz,  "  the  Christian." 
Bi-itish  Empire  begun. 
David  Brown  plans  the  Church  Mission. 
Formation   of    Baptist   Missionary  Society 

in  England. 
William  Carey  sails  for  Calcutta. 
Active  Opposition  of  East  India  Company 

to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel. 
First  Hindu  Convert  baptized  by  Carey.  ft 
Henry  Martyn. 

First  American   IMissionaries.    Burma  aud 

Bombay. 
Alexander  Duff. 

British  Government  declares  itself  neutral 

regarding  Introduction  of  Christianity. 
American    Presbyterian  IMissionaries  enter 

the  Punjab. 
First  Medical  Mission. 
First  Mctliodist  Mission  in  Bareilly. 
Martyrs  of  the  Mutiny. 
First  Call  for  Week  of  Prayer. 
Great  Tngath(»ring  of  Kols. 
Great  Ingathering  of  Telugus. 
The  Student  Volunteer  Movement  at  North- 
field,  Mass. 

Fornuition  of  Student  Volunteer  Movement 
of  liulia  and  Ceylon. 


635 

640- 

-1300 

1321 

1.500 

1542 

1560 

1600 

1602- 

-1642 

1606- 

-1693 

1681 

1705 

1749 

1757 

1788 

1792 

1793 

1793- 

-1813 

ISOO 

1805 

1812 

1830 

1833 

1835 

1850 

18.56 

1857 

1859 

1861 

1870- 

-1880 

1886 

189G 

CHAPTER  IV 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 

Later  a  sweet  voice,  Love  thy  nfif/khor  said ; 
Then  first  the  bounds  of  neighborhood  outspread 
Beyond  all  confines  of  old  ethnic  dread. 

—  Sidney  Lanier. 

While  Scythian,  Arabian,  Tatar,  Persian, 
and  European  invaders,  spurred  on  by  lust  of 
power,  lust  of  blood,  and  lust  of  gold,  were  ex- 
ploiting India  for  their  own  purposes,  silently 
and  witliout  observation  another  invasion  was 
going  on.  The  great  enlightener.  Love,  —  love 
human  and  divine,  —  was  shedding  its  rays 
athwart  the  thick  darkness  of  India. 

In  foreign  missions  the  church  of  Christ  has 
found  its  touchstone,  its  supreme  test,  its  ulti- 
mate vindication.  The  passion  for  humanity 
and  the  passion  for  God  mingle  here  to  form 
the  noblest  energy  thus  far  expressed  in  terms 
of  human  action.  In  this  adventure  men  and 
women  who  knew  they  had  souls  and  were 
very  sure  of  God,  from  the  Apostolic  age  to 
the  twentieth  century,  have  filled  u})  the  meas- 
ure of  Christ's  sufferings,  laying  down  their 
lives,  not  for  their  friends,  but  for  those  who 
counted  them  aliens.     They  have  not  been  the 

133 


134 


LUX  CUBISTI 


world's  favorite  heroes ;  but  neither  was  their 
Lord. 

At  the  foundation  of  this  self-devotion  lies 
the  profound,  unchangeable  cojiviction  of  the 
Christian  consciousness  that  the  religion  of 
Christ  is  not  an  ethnic  religion,  a  religion  for 
a  single  nation  or  for  a  peculiar  phase  of  civili- 
zation, but  a  universal  religion  for  every  man 
in  every  age  and  every  clime. 

"  WJiat  India  needs,"  said  a  famous  Hindu, 
"is  Christ."  Let  us  study  how  and  by  what 
manner  of  men  Christ  came  to  India. 

I.  APOSTOLIC  AND  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS 

[In  "  Via  Christi,"  the  initial  volume  in  this  series, 
we  have  already  become  familiar  with  the  achievements 
of  the  earliest  heroes  of  Christian  missions  in  India.] 

St.  Thomas 

According  to  tradition,  the  Apostle  Thomas, 
after  the  Day  of  Pentecost,  carried  the  titlings 
of  the  world's  redemption  to  India,  and  there 
suifered  martyrdom.  It  is  a  well-established 
fact  that  two  eminent  Cliristian  leaders  named 
Thomas  were  known  in  southern  India  during 
the  first  centuries  of  the  Christian  era,  and  it 
is  not  impossible  that  Thomas  Didj^nus  did 
in  very  deed  carry  the  gospel  tliither.  The 
legend,  however,  lacks  confirmation,  although 
St.  Thomas's  Mount,  near  Madras,  is  popularly 
held  to  be  tlie  burial-place  of  the  Apostle. 


TUE  INVASION  OF  LOVE  135 


Moman,  Jewish,  and  Christian  Colonies 

We  have  authentic  basis  for  belief  that  a 
Jewish  Christian  colony  existed  in  India  from 
the  latter  part  of  the  second  century.  In 
those  days  a  Roman  fleet  sailed  regularly  once 
a  year  from  a  port  on  the  Red  Sea  to  India, 
and  Jews  and  Jewish  Christians  going  out  by 
this  route  established  settlements  on  the  west 
coast.  Hundreds  of  Roman  coins  have  been 
discovered  in  South  India,  many  of  which  bear 
the  name  of  Augustus,  and  many  more  of  Tibe- 
rius and  other  emperors,  but  of  none  later  than 
Nero. 

PantcBnus 

About  190  A.D.  Panttenus,  a  learned  and 
devout  Christian  of  Alexandria,  hearing  that 
there  was  a  community  of  Christians  in  India, 
resolved  to  visit  them.  It  is  certified  that  he 
reached  the  Malabar  coast,  and  that  he  found 
among  these  Indian  Christians  the  Hebrew  or 
Aramaic  gospel  of  St.  Matthew.  In  547  we 
have  the  interesting  record  of  Cosmas,  a  mer- 
chant of  Alexandria  who  visited  India  and 
wrote  his  impressions  in  a  curious  book  called 
"  Christian  Topography."  He  testifies  to  the 
existence  of  Persian  Christians  in  C/cylon,  Soco- 
tra,  and  Malabar. 

Sijriaii  Christians 

In  the  third  century  the  Nestorian  or  Persian 
Dhristians  established  missions  ou  the  eastern 


136  LUX  CHRISTI  I 

or  Coromandel  coast  of  South  India.  A  most 
interesting  memorial  of  their  work  was  discov- 
ered near  Madras,  and  in  an  old  church  at  Kot- 
tayam  in  1547,  in  the  shape  of  three  Persian 
crosses  bearing  old  Syriac  inscriptions.  The 
first-named  is  a  slab  bearing  a  cross  in  relief, 
built  into  the  wall  behind  the  altar  in  a  church 
on  St.  Thomas's  Mount.  Those  at  Kottayam 
are  similar.  The  inscriptions  have  been  thus 
rendered  into  English  :  — 

"  Let  me  not  glory  except  in  the  cross  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  who  is  the  true  Messiah  and 
Grod  alone  and  Holy  Ghost.'' 

These  impressive  witnesses,  than  wliich  none 
could  be  more  trustworthy,  belong  to  the 
seventh  century  a.d.  It  will  be  noted  that  it 
was  the  coasts  of  South  India,  Malabar,  and 
Coromandel  which  were  earliest  reached  by  the 
gospel.  As  a  remnant  of  this  pioneer  mission- 
ary Avork,  there  still  remain  in  India  over  three 
hundred  thousand  "  Syrian  Christians." 

The  conquest  of  India  by  the  Mussulmans, 
beginning  in  the  seventh  century  and  continu- 
ing in  the  Mughal  Empire  throughout  the  Mid- 
dle Ages,  effectually  checked  the  progress  of 
Christianity. 

Portuguese  Roman  Catholic  Missions 

In  1498  European  invasion  of  India  began  . 
with  the  Portuguese  Vasco  da  Gama,  and  the 
year   1500  marks  the  beginning   of  Roman 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE  137 


Catholic  missions.  Let  the  student  of  the 
period  of  the  Reformation  in  Europe  in  the 
sixteenth  century  bear  in  mind  the  part  played 
by  Spain  in  that  bitter  contest,  and  he  will  be 
prepared  for  the  later  developments  of  Portu- 
guese evangelization. 

Goa  was  the  capital  of  Portuguese  India,  and 
became  the  seat  of  the  bishopric  and  the  centre 
of  Roman  Catholic  influence.  The  Franciscans 
and  Dominicans  were  early  upon  the  scene,  the 
first  half  of  the  fourteenth  century  being  a  time 
of  great  missionary  activity  among  them. 

Jordanus 

.The  Dominican  Jordanus  stands  out  as  a 
true  and  zealous  missionary.  He  left  a  curious 
and  interesting  book  entitled  "  The  Wonders  of 
the  East,"  in  wliich  he  describes  the  Parsis,  the 
aborigines,  the  Hindu  castes  and  idol  worship, 
and  the  iconoclasm  of  the  fierce  Mohammedan 
invaders  from  the  time  of  Sultan  Mahmud.  A 
strange  prophetic  belief  among  the  natives  he 
thus  indicates,  "The  pagans  of  this  India 
have  propliecies  of  their  own  that  we  Latins 
are  to  subjugate  the  whole  world."- 

Four  Martyrs  of  Than  a 

The  martyrdom  of  the  companions  of  Jor- 
danus, the  four  young  "  wrestlers  for  Christ,"  — 
Thomas,  James,  Demetrius,  and  Peter,  at  Thana, 
—  in  1321,  by  the  Mohammedans,  forms  a  noble 


138 


LUX  CHBISTI 


and  pathetic  episode  in  the  annals  of  Romish 
missions  in  India.  Odoric  the  Bohemian,  a 
wandering  missionary,  carried  the  ashes  of  the 
four  martyrs  on  his  journeyings  in  Asia  for 
fourteen  years. 

Francis  Xavier 

The  worst  and  the  best  of  Roman  Catholic 
missionary  energy  is  condensed  into  the  pas- 
sionate, self-sacrificing,  but  imperious  genius  of 
St.  Francis  Xavier. 

This  famous  Jesuit  saint  landed  at  Goa, 
May  6,  1543,  in  his  thirty-seventh  year.  The 
story  of  his  going  through  the  streets  ringing  a 
bell  to  call  the  people  to  come  out  to  hear  liim 
preach  is  familiar.  For  three  years  Xavier 
toiled  devotedly  as  a  missionary  in  South  India, 
baptizing  thousands,  among  whom  were  a  large 
number  of  infants  to  whom  he  eagerly  desired 
to  extend  the  saving  grace  of  the  sacrament. 
Xavier's  whole  line  of  action  was  based  on  this 
theory,  and  to  it  is  owing  the  large  number  of 
nominal  converts  enrolled  by  him. 

The  Inquisition  in  India 

In  1545  Xavier  requested  of  John  III  of 
Portugal  the  favor  of  introducing  the  inquisi- 
tion into  his  Indian  dominions.  This  was  done 
in  1560,  and  it  continued  in  action  with  its  cus- 
tomary diabolical  ci-uelty  until  1810.  Xavier 
died  on  the  2d  of  December,  1552,  on  the  barren 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 


139 


island  of  Sanchian  near  Canton,  China.  His 
1>  )(ly,  after  various  burials  and  removals,  was 
t liken  to  Goa,  and  is  here  still  safely  kept 
( supposedly),  being  exhibited  as  a  sacred  relic 
from  time  to  time. 

Philip  II  of  Spain,  who  in  1595  had.  gained 
su[)rcmacy  over  Portugal,  sent  Menezes  as 
ai  chbishop  to  Goa.  His  name  has  been  made 
infamous  by  his  persecution  of  the  Nestor ian 
Christians. 

Akhar  and  Christianity 

About  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
Geronimo  Xavier,  nephew  of  Francis,  made  his 
way  from  the  Portuguese  settlements  nortli  and 
east  as  far  as  Agra.  This  was  in  the  time  of 
the  mighty  Akbar,  who,  liaving  among  his 
wives  a  Christian  convert,  manifested  a  pro- 
nounced interest  in  the  tenets  of  Christianity, 
and  employed  Xavier  to  write  for  him  a  history 
of  Christ  and  Peter.  As  it  is  said  of  Akbar 
that  he  listened  impartially  to  the  arguments 
of  the  IJrahinan  and  the  Mussulman,  the  Fire 
worshipper,  tlie  Jew,  the  Jesuit,  and  tlie  sceptic, 
this  fact  was  ratlier  an  incident  than  an  event. 

The  Malabar  Scandals 

Among  the  successors  of  Xavier  in  South 
India  were  Robert  de  Nobili  aiul  John  de 
Britto,  wlio  devised  and  carried  out  a  scheme 
of  imposture  for  securing  the  conversion  of 


140 


LUX  CHRISTI 


the  Hindus,  as  strange  as  it  was  ill-judged. 
Mastering  the  Hindu  philosophy  and  ritual, 
and  the  native  dialects  by  long  study  and  in 
strictest  seclusion,  they  reappeared  in  Madras, 
claiming  to  be  in  one  case  a  Brahman  prince,  in 
the  other  an  incarnation  of  Brahma.  These 
claims,  sustained  for  a  long  period,  supported 
by  forgeries,  constitute  tlie  famous  Malabar 
scandals.  De  Britto  died  a  victim  to  the  rage 
of  the  Brahmans. 

Progress  of  Romanism  in  India 

Romanism,  in  spite  of  rents  and  schisms,  has 
made  great  progress  in  India,  chiefly  in  Madras 
and  Bengal,  and  its  adherents  outnumber  Prot- 
estant Christians  almost  two  to  one.  Its  spec- 
tacular ritual  and  processions,  its  sacrifice  of  the 
mass,  its  2)rofusion  of  images,  pictures,  and  sym- 
bols, its  prayers  to  numberless  patron  saints 
presiding  over  specific  departments  of  life,  and 
above  all  its  ascetic  priesthood  and  virgin  wor- 
ship, combine  to  make  its  appeal  a  comparatively 
easy  one  to  the  followers  of  Brahmanism.  Both 
systems  have  the  common  characteristic  of  com- 
bining the  subtlest  mysticism  of  theory  with 
gross  idolatry  of  practice.  The  Roman  Catholic 
clergy  of  Hindustan  comprise  an  archbishop  of 
Goa,  nineteen  bishops  who  are  vicars  apostolic, 
and  nearly  nine  hundred  priests.  The  church  has 
been  divided  in  allegiance  between  Portuguese 
dominance  and  the  Propaganda  of  Rome. 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 


141 


n.  EAKLY  PROTESTANT  MSSIONS 

Dutch  Indian  missions  were  wholly  Protes- 
tant, and  are  contemporaneous  with  the  rise 
of  Dutch  Oriental  commerce;  but  they  seem  in 
these  earlier  centuries  to  have  been  strangely 
mingled  with  commercial  methods  and  mo- 
tives, and  were  without  permanent  value.  The 
process  of  making  converts  was  conducted  "  in 
blocks,"  the  natives  being  forced  for  sujjport 
to  confess  Christianity,  and  receiving  baptism 
by  the  thousand,  with  no  evidence  of  sincerity. 
When,  in  1796,  the  English  overpowered  the 
Dutch  in  India,  there  were  nearly  half  a  mil- 
lion professed  converts  of  tlie  Dutch  Reformed 
Church  in  Ceylon  ;  but  in  1850  it  is  said  that 
not  a  single  congregation  remained. 

Danish  Missions 

While  Portuguese  Jesuits  were  disgracing 
the  name  of  Christ  by  their  fantastic  frauds 
and  fanatical  persecutions,  while  Holland  was 
following  a  futile  commercial  policy  of  whole- 
sale evangelization,  Denmark  was  quietly  lay- 
ing in  its  eastern  possessions  the  foundation  of 
the  great  missionary  movement  of  to-day  in 
purity  of  faitli  and  rigliteousness.  The  incep- 
tion of  this  work  was  due  to  the  earnest  efforts 
of  Dr.  Liitkens,  court  chaplain  to  Frederick 
IV,  who  set  before  the  king  the  duty  of  giv- 
ing the  gospel   to   his   Indian  dependency. 


142 


LUX  CHRISTI 


While  the  Danish  Mission,  as  such,  did  not 
prove  permanent,  owing,  perhaps,  to  the  tolera- 
tion of  caste  customs  in  converts,  it  exerted  a 
lasting  influence,  laid  a  strong  foundation  for 
the  work  of  Carey  and  his  associates,  and  Avas 
made  forever  glorious  by  the  names  of  the 
great  Lutheran  missionaries — Ziegenbalg,  Pliit- 
schau,  and  Schwartz. 

The  first  centre  of  the  Danish  movement  was 
Tranquebar,  on  the  Madras  coast,  where,  among 
the  Tamil  people,  Ziegenbalg  and  Pliitschau 
began  their  work  in  1706.  These  devoted  men 
were  not,  however,  Danes,  but  German-Luther- 
ans, for  Liitkens  failed  to  find  in  all  Denmark 
men  ready  and  fitted  for  such  a  work.  "  Seek, 
then,  for  men  in  Germany,"  said  Frederick  IV. 
In  Werder,  twenty  miles  from  Berlin,  hard  at 
work  in  his  parish,  was  found  the  right  man, 
Bartliolomew  Ziegenbalg.  Pliitschau,  a  man 
of  like  mind,  was  named  to  be  his  companion 
by  Francke  of  Halle,  and  both  accepted  the 
appointment  as  a  call  from  God.  They  were 
later  joined  by  Griindler  and  Schultze,  who 
completed  the  work  of  translation  of  the  whole 
Bible  into  Tamil,  the  first  Indian  Bible,  in  1727, 
two  hundred  years  after  Luther  made  his  trans- 
lation. Ziegenbalg,  who  died  at  thirty -six,  had 
completed  the  translation  of  the  New  Testament, 
and  left  behind  a  grammar  and  dictionary  of  the 
Tamil  tongue.  His  name  must  forever  shed 
lustre  on  the  Lutheran  Church  of  Germany, 


TriE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 


143 


as  that  of  a  second  great  pioneer  of  Biblical 
translation. 

The  efforts  of  German  Lutherans  under 
Danish  patronage,  "  the  Halle  missionaries,"  as 
they  are  called,  were  continued  by  the  greatest 
of  them  all,  the  immortal  "Father  Schwartz," 
whose  portrait  has  been  vividly  drawn  for  us 
in  "Via  Christi."  He  extended  the  work  to 
Tanjore,  and  before  the  dawn  of  the  nineteenth 
century  there  were  forty  thousand  converts  in 
the  Tranquebar  Mission.  With  the  death  of 
Schwartz,  1798,  ends  the  first  and  preparatory 
period  of  Protestant  missions  in  India. 

III.   ATTITUDE  OF  THE   EAST  INDIA  COMPANY 
•    TOWARD  CIIKISTIANIZATION  OF  INDIA 

It  will  be  noted  by  reference  to  the  chrono- 
logical table  at  tlie  beginning  of  this  chapter, 
that  Portuguese  missions  were  nearly  three 
hundred  years  old,  Dutch  nearly  two  hundred, 
and  that  nearly  a  century  elapsed  after  the 
period  of  the  first  Danish  missionary  before 
England  made  its  initial  movement  toward 
Christianizing  India. 

Meanwhile  the  English  had  become  supreme 
through  a  large  part  of  South  India,  having 
expelled  tlie  last  ensign  of  the  French  nation 
from  the  Coromandel  coast ;  Plassey  had  been 
fought ;  the  presidencies  of  Madras,  of  Calcutta, 
and  of  I'Dinbay  were  securely  liritisli,  and  many 
other  provinces  were  tributary,  while  Lord  Corn- 


LUX  CHRISTI 


wallis,  as  governor-general  of  India,  was  reviv- 
ing in  pomp  and  power  (1786-1793)  traditions 
of  the  reign  of  the  Mughal  Emperor  Aurangzeb. 

^ast  India  Company  and  Idolatry 

It  would  naturally  have  been  expected  that 
the  rise  into  supremacy  of  a  power  so  thoroughly 
Christian  and  Protestant  as  that  of  the  British 
would  from  the  first  have  brought  Christianity 
and  its  moral  standards  in  its  train.  The  mo- 
nopoly under  Clive  of  the  opium  traffic ;  the 
notorious  favoring  of  heathenism  as  a  part  of 
the  avowed  policy  of  the  East  India  Company 
of  non-interference  with  native  religion;  the 
official  maintenance  of  heathen  temples  and 
honoring  of  idols,  and  the  systematic  repres- 
sion of  all  missionary  labor,  are  the  strange 
and  unnatural  facts  which  confront  us.  The 
selfish  and  cynical  attitude  of  the  East  India 
Company's  government  toward  the  religious 
condition  of  its  new  empire  can  be  summed 
up  in  Gibbon's  words  concerning  the  ol' 
Roman  Empire,  "  The  various  religions  were 
regarded  by  the  people  as  equally  true,  by 
the  philosophers  as  equally  false,  by  the  gov- 
ernment as  equally  profitable." 

William  Wilberforce 

In  the  midst  of  the  material  selfishness  of  hi 
]K!ople  and  time  towers  tlie  form  of  William 
Wilberforce,  who  led  the  great  struggle  in  the 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 


145 


British  Parliament  which,  in  1813,  resulted  in 
an  act  stating  that  "  such  means  shall  be  em- 
ployed as  are  calculated  for  the  introduction  of 
useful  knowledge  among  the  natives  of  India 
and  for  their  moral  and  religious  elevation." 
Even  so  mild  and  inoffensive  a  measure  as  this 
was  carried  through  against  stubborn  resistance, 
and  while  a  few  missionaries  were  admitted  at 
this  time,  the  government  steadily  refused  to 
admit  others  until  1833.  At  this  time  the 
government  also  by  a  charter  put  a  stop  to 
ofhcial  endowment  of  idolatry,  and  declared 
itself  explicitly  "  neutral,"  meaning  that  while 
it  would  not  suppress  idolatry,  it  would  no 
longer  support  it. 

Chaplains  of  the  Anglican  Church 

The  first  English  church  was  founded  in 
Calcutta  in  1681  for  English  residents;  a  few 
chaplains  of  the  Chm-ch  of  England  were  sent 
out  through  the  century  following,  and  the 
Danish  Protestant  missionaries  were  tolerated. 
The  English  chaplains  unfortunately  were  fre- 
quently men  of  careless  life  and  unworthy  char- 
acter, and  the  conduct  of  the  great  mass  of  the 
English  was  such  as  to  lead  the  natives  to 
believe  Christianity  the  religion  of  the  devil. 
It  is  an  old  proverb  among  Anglo-Indians  that 
"the  Ten  Commandments  cease  to  be  in  force 
beyond  the  Isthmus  of  Suez."  During  this 
long,  dark  period  there  were  among  the  chap- 


14G 


LUX  CHRISTI 


lains  of  the  East  India  Company  five  excep- 
tional men  whose  names  deserve  to  be  hekl 
in  lasting  remembrance :  these  were  David 
Brown,  Claudius  Buchanan,  Henry  Martyn, 
Thomas  Thomason,  and  Daniel  Corrie.  These 
earnest  and  consecrated  East  Indian  chaplains 
were  mainly  proteges  of  Charles  Simeon  of 
Cambridge,  the  greatest  evangelical  leader  in 
the  Anglican  Church  in  his  day.  Among  them 
the  name  of  Henry  Martyn  always  shines  with 
peculiar  lustre,  by  reason  of  liis  unconquerable 
spirit  valiantly  struggling  with  physical  weak- 
ness, his  surpassing  religious  genius,  and  his 
early  death.  In  this  connection  we  may  make 
mention  of  Reginald  Heber,  second  bishop  of 
the  See  of  Calcutta  at  a  later  date  (from  1822 
to  1826),  who  united  the  zeal  and  piety  of  the 
Christian  with  the  accomplishments  of  the 
scholar  and  the  gentleman.  Few  men  have 
ever  won  in  equal  measure  the  general  esteem 
of  society  in  India. 

IV.  MISSIONS  IX  INDIA  FROM  1793  TO  1857 

Discouraged  by  public  sentiment  at  home  and 
the  prohibitive  policy  of  the  company  on  tlie 
field,  English  missionaries  were  late  in  appear- 
ing. But  their  advent  in  India,  when  at  last  it 
came,  by  common  consent,  marks  the  actual  be- 
ginning of  the  great  Protestant  missionar}-  move- 
ment of  modern  times.  The  name  of  the  first 
English  missionary,  William  Carey,  is  the  most 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 


147 


illustrious  in  tlie  annals  of  Protestant  missions ; 
aiul  the  English  Church  Missionary  Society  (the 
C  M.  IS.),  representing  the  evangelical  wing  of 
that  body,  is  to-day  the  strongest  and  most  effi- 
cient organization  of  its  kind  in  the  world. 

The  English  were  worth  waiting  for ;  and  well 
did  Southey  say,  "The  first  step  toward  winning 
the  natives  to  our  religion  is  to  show  them  that 
we  have  one." 

The  Serampore  Triads  —  Carey,  Marshman,  and 
Ward 

The  determination  of  William  Carey,  the 
"  consecrated  cobbler "  (himself  a  Baptist),  to 
preach  the  gospel  to  the  Hindus,  led  to  the 
formation,  in  1792,  of  the  Baptist  Missionary 
Society.  Appointed  by  the  society  as  its  first 
missionary,  Carey,  then  in  his  thirty-tliird  year, 
sailed  for  India,  June  13,  1793,  accompanied  by 
a  Christian  surgeon,  John  Thomas.  At  this 
time  all  Europeans  not  in  public  service  were 
forbidden  to  set  foot  in  the  East  India  Company's 
territories  in  India  without  especial  license.  So 
inflexible  was  the  official  opposition  to  the  en- 
trance of  missionaries  that  Carey  and  Thomas, 
in  order  to  avoid  expulsion,  were  obliged,  on 
arrival  in  Calcutta,  to  register  as  indigo  planters 
and  to  engage  in  that  occupation.  "  There," 
says  Eugene  Stock,  "  and  in  that  capacity,  lived 
for  six  years  Carey,  the  one  representative  in 
India  of  the  missionary  zeal  of  Christian  Eng- 


148 


irx  CHBISTI 


land ;  and  in  that  obscure  —  one  mar  saj  igno- 
minious—  way  began  English  missions  in  her 
great  dependency."  In  1799  Joshua  Mar.shman 
and  Wmiam  Ward,  -with  others,  under  appoint- 
ment by  the  English  Baptist  Society,  landed  in 
Calcutta :  but  being  instantly  ordered  to  leave 
the  country,  they  took  refuge  in  the  friendly 
Danish  settlement  of  Serampore,  sixteen  miles 
above  Calcutta,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Hughli 
River.  Here  they  were  soon  joined  by  Carey, 
glad  to  escape  from  British  hostility,  and  the 
great  "  Serampore  Triad  "  was  formed.  In  1800 
the  first  Hindu  convert,  Krishna  Pal,  was  bap- 
tized. The  Serampore  men,  who  may  be  justly 
regarded  as  missionary  statesmen  and  apostles, 
broke  wellnigh  every  path  which  has  since  be- 
come a  highroad  of  missionary  activity.  They 
laid  the  foundation  for  almost  every  method  of 
subsequent  missionary  endeavor,  whether  in 
school  or  college,  in  organizing  native  preach- 
ers and  lay  workers,  or  in  exercising  the  right 
of  petition  against  the  crimes  committed  in  the 
name  of  the  Hindu  religion.  Above  all,  how- 
ever, ranks  their  distinguished  and  scholarly 
labor  in  translating  the  Bible  into  the  ver- 
nacular. In  view  of  their  limited  education, 
their  marvellous  attainments  in  this  particular 
suggest  an  especial  divine  endowment.  Carey, 
whose  success  as  a  translator  has  won  for  him 
the  title  of  "the  Wycliffe  of  the  East,"  com- 
pleted a  Bengali  dictionary  in  three  volumes,  and 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 


149 


translated  the  Bible,  or  some  of  its  parts,  into 
thirty-six  dialects.  He  prepared  grammars  and 
dictionaries  in  the  Sanskrit,  Marathi,  Bengali, 
Punjabi,  and  Telugu  dialects.  His  fame  as  a 
botanist  was  second  only  to  his  reputation  as  a 
linguist.  His  whole  long  residence  of  forty -one 
years  in  India  proved  him  a  man  of  extraordinary 
intellectual  powei",  accompanied  with  the  rarest 
humility  and  most  unfaltering  devotion  to  his 
master,  Jesus  Christ,  and  wjth  a  consuming  love 
for  his  fellow-men.  Financially  the  Serampore 
Triad  did  what  no  three  men  since  have  done  — 
contributed  by  their  efforts  to  the  cause  of  mis- 
sions and  India's  elevation  nearly  half  a  million 
dollars,  and  this  when  the  brotherhood  of  three 
families  lived  at  the  same  table  at  a  cost  of  five 
hundred  dollars  a  year.  It  can  fairly  be  said  that 
the  conceptions  of  Carey  and  his  associates  as  to 
the  introduction  of  Christianity  among  a  pagan 
people  have  for  a  century  dominated  Protestant 
missions. 

(i)  Missionary  organizations  beginning  work 
in  India  previous  to  1857. 

Thus  we  see  that  the  English  Baptists  en- 
tered India  in  1793 ;  the  Congregationalists 
followed  in  1798  ;  the  Church  of  England  took 
up  the  work  in  1807  ;  the  American  Board, 
representing  the  Congregationalists  of  the 
United  States,  in  1812  ;  the  American  Baptists 
in  1814,  and  the  English  Methodists  the  same 
year.     The  common  origin  of  the  American 


150 


LUX  CHRISTI 


Board  and  the  Baptist  Missionary  Union  de- 
mand especial  notice,  as  being  the  first  of  all 
American  Protestant  missionary  organizations, 
and  thus  marking  an  epoch. 

When,  in  1810,  at  tlie  Theological  Seminar}- 
at  Andover,the  "-haystack"  missionary  heroes, — 
Mills,  Richards,  Rice,  and  Hall, — met  Adoniram 
J udson,  a  memorial  was  drawn  up,  signed  by  him 
and  three  others,  asking  the  General  Association 
of  Massachusetts  "whether  they  might  expect 
patronage  and  support  from  a  missionary  society 
in  this  country,  or  must  commit  themselves  to 
the  direction  of  an  European  Society."  The 
result  was  the  formation  of  the  American  B(jard 
of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions  in  1812, 
representing  the  American  Congregationalists 
(A.  B.  C.  F.  M.),  under  whose  auspices  Hall, 
Nott,  Rice,  Judson,  and  Newell  sailed  for  India. 
Two  years  later  the  avowal  by  Judson  of  his 
change  of  views  on  the  subject  and  mode  of 
baptism,  and  liis  own  baptism  at  Calcutta,  led 
to  the  creation  of  the  American  Baptist  ISIis- 
sionary  Union  (A.  B.  M.  U.). 

The  earliest  mission  of  the  American  Board 
was  that  at  Bombay,  founded  by  Gordon  Hall 
and  his  colleagues.  From  here  the  work  has 
extended  to  Poona,  Ahmednagar,  Satara,  and 
Sholapur,  and  is  now  known  as  the  Marathi 
Mission.  The  Ceylon  Mission,  begun  in  1816 
at  Tillipally  and  Batticotta  by  Poor,  Richards, 
and  Meigs,  is  one  of  the  firmest,  strongest,  and 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 


151 


most  thorough  in  India,  and  is  preeminent  for 
the  character  of  its  schools,  and  especially  for 
Jaffna  College,  founded  in  1872.  The  Madura 
Mission,  among  the  Tamil  people,  was  begun  in 
1834  and  is  doing  a  noble  work,  largely  of  an 
educational  character.  ^Madras  is  the  seat  of 
the  Tamil  publishing  work.  The  American 
Board  has  furnished  India  with  many  of  its 
most  distinguished,  scholarly,  and  successful 
missionaries.  In  1850  Rev.  H.  M.  Scudder, 
M.D.,  son  of  John  Scudder,  having  labored  in 
connection  with  the  American  Board  for  some 
years,  made  a  tour  with  Mr.  Dulles  of  South 
India  with  a  view  to  establishing  an  out-station. 
The  result  was  the  mission  to  Arcot,  forever 
identified  with  the  great  Scudder  family.  Eight 
sons  of  Dr.  John  Scudder  and  many  grandsons 
and  granddaughters  have  devoted  their  lives  to 
the  salvation  both  of  soul  and  body  of  India's 
millions.  The  Arcot  Mission  has  passed  into 
the  hands  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  of 
the  United  States. 

American  Baptist  missions  in  India  from  the 
first  were  definitely  confined  to  three  vast  but 
distinct  regions.  Of  these  the  first,  Burma, 
was  visited  by  English  Baptists,  Chater,  Mar- 
don,  and  Felix  Carey,  as  early  as  1807  ;  but  it 
was  with  the  coming  of  Adoniram  Judson,  "the 
greatest  of  American  missionaries,"  in  1813, 
that  the  work  of  evangelization  really  began. 
The  genius  of  its  founder,  the  exquisite  person- 


152 


LUX  CHRISTI 


ality  of  Ann  H.  Judson,  and  the  pathos  of  her 
noble  life  and  of  that  of  Sarah  Boardman  Jud- 
son, have  cast  a  halo  of  unparalleled  romance 
over  this  mission.  Judson  laid  a  foundation 
broad  and  deep,  on  which  a  mighty  superstruc- 
ture has  risen  in  this  seat  of  Buddhism.  At 
his  death  there  Avere  over  seven  thousand  native 
Christians.  Among  about  thirty  stations  the 
following  may  be  named  as  most  important,  — 
Rangoon,  Maulmein,  Bassein,  Henzada,  Touu- 
goo,  and  Mandalay.  Judson's  translation  of 
the  whole  Bible  into  Burmese  is  a  work  of  the 
highest  permanent  value. 

A  most  interesting  feature  of  the  Burmese  Mis- 
sion is  the  work  among  the  Karens.  This  peo- 
ple number  many  tribes  (among  whom  are  the 
Sgau  Karens  and  Pwo  Karens),  for  all  of  which 
the  American  Baptists  carry  on  missions.  The 
work  was  begun  in  1828  by  George  Dana  Board- 
man  of  the  A.  B.  M.  U.  The  first  disciple  to  be 
baptized  was  Ko-thali-byu,  formerly  a  slave  of 
reckless,  dangerous  character,  who  became  by  the 
mighty  regenerating  power  of  God  a  faithful, 
humble  laborer  for  the  conversion  of  his  race. 
The  death  of  Boardman,  after  his  brief  but  noble 
tei'm  of  service,  forms  a  singularly  pathetic 
event.  The  persecution  of  Christian  Karens  in 
1852  by  the  Burmans,  and  the  heroic  devotion 
of  Justus  Vinton  and  his  wife,  are  episodes  of 
marked  interest.  There  are  now  about  five  Inui- 
dred  Karen  churches  in  Burma,  with  tliirty-five 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 


153 


thousand  members,  thousands  having  confessed 
Christ  under  Vinton's  ministrations.  They  are 
(listinguislied  for  their  zeal,  their  steadfastness 
under  persecution,  and  their  spirit  of  self-help. 
They  have  built  and  endowed  a  hospital ;  have 
endowed  their  own  high  school,  "the  best  in 
iill  Burma;"  their  churches  are  kept  under 
.strict  discipline ;  their  pastors  are  thoroughly 
ti  ained ;  the  system  of  benevolence  reaches 
ruery  church  member,  and  all  in  all  they  com- 
pare favorably  with  the  country  churches  of 
the  United  States. 

In  Assam,  to  wliich  the  eminent  Nathan 
Jirown  went  in  1836^  the  Baptists  labor 
ulmost  alone  among  the  Garo,  Naga,  Kanari, 
and  other  aboriginal  tribes,  doing  a  great  print- 
ing work  in  native  dialect  at  Sibsagor,  and 
holding  six  otlier  important  stations,  with  sixty- 
nine  churches,  most  of  which  are  self-support- 
ing. Perhaps  the  most  noteworthy  achievement 
in  Assam  has  been  the  reduction  to  writing 
by  the  missionaries  of  six  different  languages 
hitherto  without  alphabet. 

The  third  Bajjtist  territory,  as  it  may  be 
called,  is  in  southeastern  India,  among  the 
Telugu  people,  with  Madras,  Ongole,  and 
Nellore  as  centres.  Work  was  begun  here  also 
in  1836,  by  Samuel  Day,  and  was  carried  on 
later  by  Lyman  Jewett.  The  Nellore  Mission, 
the  centre  of  the  Telugu  work,  remained  so  un- 
productive for  seventeen  years  that  the  mission- 


154 


LUX  CHRISTI 


ary  Union  in  1853  was  on  the  point  of  formally 
abandoning  it,  at  their  annual  meeting  at  Al- 
bany, N.  Y.,  when  a  thrilling  hymn,  naming 
Nellore  the  "•  Lone  Star  Mission,"  written  by 
Dr.  S.  F,  Smith,  the  author  of  "  America," 
caused  a  sudden  revulsion  of  feeling,  and  it 
was  unanimously  voted  to  reenforce  the  mission. 
Events  have  more  than  justified  this  action,  as 
the  great  revivals  under  John  E.  Clough,  which 
began  in  1867,  and  reached  their  climax  ten 
years  later,  have  rendered  the  Telugu  work  one 
of  the  most  marvellous  mass  movements  in  the 
history  of  Indian  missions.    In  a  single  day 

1000  brought  their  idols  to  tlie  missionaries 
» 

in  Ongole  to  be  destroyed,  on  another  da}^ 
2222  were  baptized,  and  at  one  time  8691 
within  the  space  of  ten  days. 

Ceylon  was  an  early  field,  being  first  entered 
by  Protestants  in  1812,  when  English  Baptists 
began  their  work  at  Colombo,  being  reenforced 
later  by  English  Wesleyans  as  well  as  by  the 
missionaries  of  the  American  Board. 

In  1835  the  Fi-eewill  Baptist  Society  of  the 
United  States  sent  out  four  missionaries,  —  Mr. 
Noyes  and  Mr.  Phillips  and  their  wives,  wlio 
planted  a  station  in  Orissa.  In  this  province 
much  admirable  work  has  been  done,  notably 
the  reduction  of  the  Santal  tongue  to  a  written 
language  by  Mr.  Phillips,  for  which  he  received 
the  thanks  of  the  British  government.  Centres 
have  been  established  at  Balasore,  Jellasore, 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 


155 


Midnapore,  and  other  points.  At  Jellasore  an 
asylum  has  been  founded  for  sick  and  suffering 
pilgrims.  The  work  abounds  in  interesting 
features. 

The  German  Lutheran  Societ}'^  of  America  in 
1842,  four  years  after  the  death  of  the  noble 
Rhenius,  selected  the  Kistna  district,  north  of 
Nellore,  as  a  field  of  labor.  While  this  society 
owed  its  origin  to  the  unfortunate  complication 
of  Lutheran  missionaries  working  under  Episco- 
pal authority,  and  the  misunderstanding  arising 
therefrom,  their  course  of  action  was  thoroughly 
Christian  and  magnanimous,  and  their  work 
has  been  one  of  marked  power  and  fruitful- 
ness.  Their  first  missionary,  Heyer,  settled  at 
Guntur.  It  will  be  observed  that  these  early 
missionary  organizations  were  all  established 
on  strictly  denominational  lines,  as  seemed  un- 
avoidable according  to  the  spirit  of  the  time, 
when  great  emphasis  was  laid  upon  divisive 
distinctions.  One  striking,  although  in  the  end 
unsuccessful,  exception  must  be  noticed.  The 
London  Missionary  Society  was  formed  in  1795, 
three  years  later  than  the  Baptist  Missionary 
Society  which  owed  its  life  to  Carey's  call. 
This  later  society  was  formed  by  a  union  of 
Presbyterians,  Independents,  and  members  of 
the  Church  of  Eiiglaud,  and  it  gave  out  the  fol- 
lowing manifesto:  "  Tliat  its  design  is  not  to 
send  Presbyterianism,  Episcopalianism,  or  any 
other  form  of  church  government  (about  whicli 


156 


LUX  CHRISTI 


there  may  be  differences  of  opinion  among 
serious  persons),  but  the  glorious  gospel  of  the 
blessed  God  to  the  heathen,  and  that  it  shall 
be  left  (as  it  ought  to  be  left)  to  the  minds  of 
the  persons  whom  God  may  call  to  the  fellow- 
ship of  his  Son  from  among  them,  to  assume 
for  themselves  such  church  government  as  to 
them  shall  appear  most  agreeable  to  the  word 
of  God." 

This  plan  of  procedure,  thus  nobly  stated, 
failed  through  the  withdrawal  after  a  time  of 
the  Episcopalians  and  Presbyterians. 

In  1834  began  the  labor  of  the  Basel  Mission 
in  Malabar.  In  1835  American  Presbyterian 
missions  were  begun  at  Ludhiana,  in  the  Pun- 
jab, by  John  C.  Lowrie  and  William  Reed, 
reenforced  in  1849  by  James  Wilson,  C.  W. 
Forman,  and  the  illustrious  John  Newton. 
Forman  spent  forty-six,  Newton  fifty-six,  years 
in  India,  and  both  have  left  an  indelible  im- 
press on  the  Punjab.  The  Presbyterian  Church 
now  carries  on  three  important  missions,  — 
Ludhiana,  Farukhabad  (started  at  Allahabad), 
and  the  Western  India  Mission.  The  medical 
work  is  especially  remarkable,  and  there  are 
institutions  for  lepers  at  Sabatha,  Ambala,  and 
Saharanpur.  The  first  was  established  b}' 
John  Newton.  The  hospitals  at  Miraj,  Alla- 
habad, Ambala,  and  Ferozepore  are  finely 
equipped  and  manned.  Other  important  sta- 
tions in  the   Punjab  are   Fategarh,  Lahore, 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 


157 


Dehra  Dun,  and  Jullunder.  Tliere  are  five 
presbyteries.  In  the  year  1856  Isidor  Lowen- 
thal,  a  converted  Polish  Jew  and  a  graduate 
of  Princeton,  pushed  the  work  up  toward  the 
Afghan  frontier  as  far  as  Peshawar.  A  dis- 
tinguished Brahman  convert,  Kali  Chatterjee, 
has  for  years  conducted  work  at  Hosliyarpore. 
John  H.  Morrison,  of  the  Ludhiana  Mission, 
was  known  as  "  The  Lion  of  the  Punjab,"  by 
reason  of  the  fearlessness  of  his  preaching  ; 
while  of  John  Newton  it  was  said,  "  He  was 
one  of  the  holiest  and  best-beloved  men  the 
Punjab  has  ever  seen." 

In  18-11  the  Leipsic  Lutherans  established 
work  in  the  Carnatic,  the  Irish  Presbyterians 
in  Gujerat,  the  Welsh  Calvinists  in  Bengal, 
and  the  Berlin  Mission  in  Behar. 

In  18-46  the  German  Mission  to  the  Kols  of 
Chota  Nagpore,  two  hundred  miles  west  of  Cal- 
cutta, was  started. 

In  1855  the  Moravians  established  their  mis- 
sion in  Kyelang,  in  the  foothills  of  the  Hima- 
layas, where  they  have  done  most  valuable  and 
leroic  work.  The  fact  that  in  this  body  of 
Christians  one  out  of  every  fifty-eight  commu- 
nicants is  a  foreign  missionary  gives  them  a 
)lace  of  noble  distinction  in  Christendom. 

The  Scotch  United  Presbyterians  began  their 
abors  in  1855  in  the  province  of  llajputana,  a 
jTOvince  more  extensive  in  area  than  Great 
Jritain  and  Ireland,  and  the  seat  of  the  Raj- 


158 


LUX  CHRISTI 


i 


puts,  the  famous  hereditary  Aryan  chieftains. 
Their  work  has  extended  from  Rajputana  into 
the  adjacent  province  of  Gujerat.  Dr.  Shool- 
brel,  a  man  of  light  and  leading,  was  their 
pioneer.  Their  work  centres  about  Jeypore, 
Ajraere,  Deoli,  and  Beawar.  In  the  same  year 
American  United  Presbyterians  entered  the 
Punjab,  Sialkot  being  the  first  station.  The 
work  now  comprises  eight  districts,  and  is  car- 
ried on  with  great  effectiveness  by  a  force  of 
twelve  ordained  and  twelve  women  mission- 
aries. The  theological  seminary  and  memorial 
hospital  at  Sialkot  are  effective  features. 

In  1856  William  Butler,  the  great  pioneer  of 
American  Methodists  in  India,  arrived  in  Cal- 
cutta, and  proceeded  to  Rohilkhand,  between 
the  upper  Ganges  and  the  Himalayas.  Hardlj-, 
however,  had  he  become  settled  in  his  station  of 
Bareilly  when  the  Sepoy  Mutiny  broke  out, 
and  on  the  31st  of  May,  1857,  the  English  resi- 
dents were  all  put  to  death  or  put  to  flight  hy  . 
the  Sepoys.    Dr.  Butler  and  liis  family  escaped  ] 
to  Naina  Tal,  another  mountain  town  of  tlie  ] 
Himalayas,  and  for  a  long  time  disappeared 
from  view.     The  little  group  were  known  for 
months  as  "the  Naina  Tal  Refugees." 

In  1858  the  American  Dutch  Reformed 
Church,  whose  earliest  representative  had  been 
John  Scudder,  sent  out  by  the  American  Board, 
came  into  the  field  witli  vigor  and  zeal.  Arcot 
is  the  region  of  their  large  activity. 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 


159 


(2)  Early  Heroes. 

Out  of  the  noble  army  of  pioneer  mission- 
aries, during  the  period  from  Carey  to  the  Mu- 
tiny (1793-1857),  we  can  single  out  but  a  few 
of  the  met   illustrious  names  besides  those 
already  mentioned.     Alexander  Duff,  who  in 
l^'oO  arrived  in  Calcutta  as  the  first  mission- 
ary of  the  Established  Church  of  Scotland, 
and  became  the  founder  of  English  education 
in  India,  is  estimated  by  Bishop  Thoburn  as 
most  pronynent  man  in  the  missionary 
rid  after  William  Carey. 
Other  great  names  are  those  of  Charles  Rhe- 
11  ins  (1811),  "one  of  the  ablest,  most  clear- 
-it^bted,    practical,   and    zealous  missionaries 
wliom  India  has  ever  seen  "  ;  Daniel  Poor,  who 
;ii  1816  began  his  fruitful  labors  in  the  island 
of  Ceylon  ;  Eugenio  Kincaid,  the  fearless  mis- 
sionary, explorer,   and    envoy  ;    the  Bombay 
missionaries,  Donald  Mitchell  (1825),  Dr.  J. 
IMurray  Mitchell,  Robert  Nesbit,  and  John  Wil- 
pon  (1835),  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland  ; 
iobert  T.  Noble    (1811),    of    the  English 
Church  Missionary  Society,  who  founded  at 
yiasulipatam  the  college  which  has  been  called 
'the  Cambridge  of  South  India"  ;  Stephen 
lislop,  founder  of  Hislop  Missionary  College 
it  Nagpur  ;  and  that  other   mighty  Scotch- 
nan,  John  Anderson,  the  apostolic  successor, 
ifter  the  spirit,  of  Alexander  Duff,  who  carried 
lis  methods  to  Madras,  and  who  died  "such 


160 


LUX  CHRISTI 


a  death  as  I  have  never  before  witnessed," 
said  one  of  his  physicians.  "  His  constitution 
should  have  borne  another  twenty  years  of 
labor,  but  he  was  broken  with  the  weight  of 
heavy  responsibilities  and  exhaustin*--  toil  with- 
out respite,  while  practising  the  most  rigid  self- 
denial  that  in  every  way  the  work  might  be 
advanced."  Truly  this  might  be  adopted  as 
the  typical  missionary  epitaph. 

Time  would  fail  to  tell  of  many  more,  apos- 
tles and  martyrs,  who  through  faith  wrought 
righteousness,  "obtained  promises,  and  subdued 
kingdoms. 

V.   RAPID  SURVEY  OF  INDIAN  MISSIONS  FROM 
THE  MUTINY  TO  THE  PRESENT  TIME 

"  The  history  of  Christian  India,"  says  Smith, 
"began  in  the  year  1858," — the  Annus  INIira- 
bilis  of  modern  missions.  The  Sepoy  Mutiny, 
in  1857,  opened  a  new  period.  The  timid,  un- 
tried, native  Christians  were  identified  by  the 
mutineers  with  the  governing  class  and  put  to 
the  test  of  martyrdom  for  their  Master's  sake. 

Martyrs  of  the  Mutiny 

Thirty-seven  missionaries  and  their  families 
were  butchered,  and  an  unknown  number  of 
native  Christians.  "  The  Mohammedans  al- 
ways, and  the  Hindus  occasionally,  offered  such 
their  lives  as  the  price  of  denying  their  Lord. 
Not  one  instance  can  be  cited  of  failure  to  con- 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 


161 


fess  him  by  men  and  women,  very  often  of  frail 
physique,  and  but  yesterday  of  the  same  faith 
as  their  murderers."  Happily  the  records  of 
the  infant  church  of  India  contain  a  narrative 
of  one  survivor  of  the  torture  of  that  time, 
Gopinath  Nundy,  a  Brahman  converted  under 
Alexander  Duff.  This  heroic  recital  is  given 
us  in  Smith's  "  Conversion  of  India." 

Among  the  martyrs  were  the  Presbyterian 
missionaries  stationed  at  Farukhabad,  Freeman, 
Johnson,  McMullen,  Campbell,  and  their  wives 
and  the  two  little  children  of  the  Campbells. 
They  were  captured  as  they  tried  to  escape 
down  the  Ganges  to  Cawnpore,  and  at  Nana 
Sahib's  orders  were  all  taken  to  the  parade- 
ground  and  shot  in  cold  blood.  How  calmly 
they  met  the  end  these  words  of  Mrs.  Free- 
man's, written  just  before  lier  death,  show:  — 

"  We  are  in  God's  hands  and  we  know  that 
He  reigns.  We  have  no  place  to  flee  for  shel- 
ter—  but  under  the  covert  of  His  wings,  and 
there  we  are  safe.  .  .  .  Should  I  be  called  to 
lay  down  my  life,  most  joyfully  would  I  die  for 
Him  who  laid  down  His  life  for  me." 

New  consecration,  vigor,  and  purpose  were 
infused  into  every  missionary  society  laboring 
in  India,  as  they  saw  of  what  stuff  their  con- 
verts were  made  ;  while  Queen  Victoria's  Proc- 
lamation, in  which  the  crown  assumed  direct 
responsibility  of  the  empire,  doing  away  with 
the  shifting  and  mercenary  "  John  Company," 

M 


162 


LUX  CHBISTI 


and.  assuring  all  her  subjects  equal  and  impar- 
tial protection,  stimulated  new  organizations  to 
enter  new  fields. 

Origin  of  the  Week  of  Prayer 

Close  following  the  agitation  of  the  Mutiny- 
came  a  call  from  the  Presbyterian  Mission  at 
Ludhiana  to  the  whole  Christian  Church  to 
unite  in  an  annual  Week  of  Prayer,  to  begin 
with  January  8,  1859  ;  "  that  all  God's  people 
of  every  name  and  nation,  of  every  continent 
and  island  be  .  .  .  invited  to  unite  with  us  in 
the  petition  that  God  would  now  pour  out  His 
Spirit  upon  all  flesh,  so  that  all  the  ends  of  the 
earth  might  see  His  salvation." 

Such  was  the  origin,  such  the  missionary 
motive,  too  often  forgotten,  of  the  Week  of 
Prayer.  It  was  John  H.  Morrison  who  first 
conceived  the  thought  and  put  it  in  action. 

Methodist  Progress 

Most  stimulating  is  the  broad  onward  sweep 
of  the  Methodists  in  India,  with  their  great 
names  of  Butler,  Parker,  Taylor,  Thoburn,  and 
many  more. 

Emerging  from  their  hiding,  the  Naina  Tal 
refugees,  upon  whom  the  intense  interest  of  all 
their  brethren  in  America  was  concentrated, 
proceeded  to  establish  themselves  in  Mordara- 
bad  and  Lucknow.  In  1864  the  bounds  of  their 
work  were  extended  so  as  to  take  in  southern 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 


163 


and  eastern  Oudh  and  other  adjacent  regions, 
their  held  being  inclnded  in  a  triangle  bounded 
on  the  west  by  the  Ganges,  on  the  southeast  by 
a  line  drawn  from  the  city  of  Allahabad  east- 
ward to  the  Himalayas  and  by  the  great  Snow 
Mountains  on  the  north  and  northeast.  The 
year  1870  marked  another  crisis,  when  Bishop 
Thoburn  carried  the  work  westward  across  the 
Ganges.  Bishop  Taylor's  masterly  evangelistic 
genius,  and  the  revival  under  him  in  South 
India,  made  new  centres  in  Bombay,  in  Poona, 
in  Secunderabad,  in  Madras,  and  in  Calcutta. 
The  work  was  then  pushed  eastward  as  far  as 
Rangoon,  Methodists  thus  coming  to  share  with 
Bajitists  and  Anglicans  the  work  of  evangeliz- 
ing Burma;  points  of  vantage  were  seized  in 
the  Punjab  and  in  the  Central  Provinces,  —  in 
fine,  instead  of  the  compact  triangle  at  first 
occupied,  the  Methodist  body  now  surveys  all 
India  as  its  field.  In  1892,  in  the  North  India 
Conference  more  than  nineteen  thousand  were 
baptized.  "  To-day,"  said  Dr.  Gracey  recently 
to  the  writer,  "  a  hundred  thousand  natives  are 
ready  to  cast  away  their  idols  and  profess 
Christ.  If  we  had  but  teach(irs  in  whose  hands 
to  place  them  for  (^liristian  training,  we  could 
baptize  that  number  at  once."  "•  We  entered 
Calcutta  in  1872,"  says  Bishoj)  Thoburn,  "  with- 
out a  dollar  in  the  shape  of  iiiiancial  resources. 
We  had  not  a  member  in  all  tliat  great  city 
to  receive  us.     Bislioj)  Taylor  preaclicd  for 


164 


LUX  CHRISTI 


months  in  a  suburban  chapel  kindly  placed  at 
his  disposal  by  a  Baptist  missionary,  but  his 
labors  for  the  most  part  were  confined  to  pri- 
vate houses.  We  held  on,  and  now  we  have  the 
largest  place  of  worship,  not  only  in  Calcutta, 
but  in  India,  and  the  largest  congregation." 

German  and  English  Success 

Another  stirring  cliapter  of  liistory  is  furnished 
us  by  the  extraordinary  success  of  the  German 
Mission  among  the  Kols,  the  aboriginal  people 
of  Chota  Nagpore.  At  the  end  of  1861  there 
were  2400  converts.  Ten  years  later  there  were 
20,727,  and  at  the  present  time  there  are  30,000. 

Founded  early  in  the  ccnturj^  by  the  gifted, 
but  erratic  and  mysterious  Ringletaube,  the 
great  Tamil  missions  in  Travancore,  under  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  have  made  phe- 
nomenal progress.  In  the  decade  1861-1871 
they  added  10,000  to  the  number  of  converts, 
and  more  than  8000  between  1871-1881,  bidding 
fair  to  evangelize  the  entire  region.  Strong 
missions  are  also  sustained  by  this  Society  in 
North  and  South  India. 

Work  of  the  Anglican  Church 

Wliile  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of 
America  has  not  thus  far  made  itself  markedly 
felt  in  India,  the  Church  of  England  is  the  state 
church,  sustained  at  a  cost  of  about  eight  liun- 
dred  thousand  dollars  annually.   The  prestige  of 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE  165 


the  establishment  is  naturally  thus  transmitted, 
and  the  Anglican  clergy  are  found  in  all  impor- 
tant towns,  and  occupy  many  positions  of  influ- 
ence. The  CM.  S.  (Church  Missionary  Society) 
and  S.  P.  G.  (Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
1  Gospel),  the  one  representing  low  and  the  other 
high  church  sympathies,  have  undoubtedly  done 
the  most  efficient  work  of  any  branch  of  the 
Christian  church  in  India.  The  })rovince  of 
Tinnevelly,  at  the  southern  extremity  of  tbe 
l)eninsula,  stands  foremost  as  the  most  Chris- 
tianized province  of  India.  About  1822  Bishop 
Hel)er  wrote:  "The  strength  of  the  Christian 
cause  in  India  is  in  tliese  missions,  Tinnevelly 
and  Tanjore;  it  will  be  a  grievous  and  heavy  sin 
if  England  and  the  agents  of  her  bounty  do  not 
nourish  and  protect  the  churches  here  founded." 

This  mission,  originally  known  as  the  Palain- 
cotta  Mission,  dates  back  to  the  time  of  the 
^Danish  Lutheran  missionaries  of  Tranquebar, 
md  was  visited  by  the  celebrated  Schwartz  in 
1778.    After  coming  under  German  Lutheran 
jversight,  notably  that  of  Rhenius,  in  1820,  it 
wras  finally  adopted  by  the  English  societies 
ibove  named.    Under  their  control  a  period  of 
wonderful  expansion  lias  ensued,  particularly 
vithin  tlie  last  quarter  century.    Tiie  first  mis- 
ionary  bishops  or  coadjutors  of  the  Bishop  of 
Madras  were  chosen  fi-om  the  Tinnevelly  mis- 
ion.s,  which,  in  18!H),  numbered  sixty  thousand 
christians.    Rhenius,  who  has  been  called  bolder 


166  LUX  CHRISTI  || 

and  more  talented  even  than  Schwartz  himself, 
originated  the  policy  of  forming  his  native  Chris- 
tians into  separate  villages.  This  method  is 
successfully  followed  to-day  in  the  work  of  the 
American  United  Presbyterians  in  the  Punjab. 

Canadian  and  Other  Societies 

Canadian  Baptists,  began  work  in  the  Kistna 
district  at  Coconada  in  1874,  and  have  since 
planted  several  stations  in  the  Vizagapatam 
district  on  the  northern  Madras  coast.  The 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Canada  founded  a 
Foreign  Missionary  Society  in  1875,  and  has 
stations  at  Gwalior,  Indore,  Ratlam,  and  other 
points  in  central  and  north  India. 

In  central  India,  at  Hoshangabad,  English 
Friends  began  their  work  in  1874.  Earnest 
and  thorough  teaching  is  imparted,  and  five 
centres  are  held  by  an  efficient  working  force. 
Orphanages  for  both  boys  and  girls,  with  nearly 
a  thousand  inmates,  form  an  interesting  feature 
of  this  work.  American  Friends  have  very 
recently  undertaken  a  mission  at  Nowgony, 
Assam. 

Educational  Work  i 

From  the  period  of  Carey  and  Duff  no  feature 
has  been  more  emphasized  in  Indian  missions 
than  the  education  of  natives  as  the  basis  for 
evangelization.  "Previous  to  tlie  arrival  of 
Alexander  Duff  in  Calcutta,  in  1880,  Cliristian  i 
education  luul  been  mainly  carried  on  in  the 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE  167 


vernacular.  Dr.  Duff  with  all  his  vigor  entered 
energetically  into  extensive  educational  reforms. 
Taking  advantage  of  the  desire  on  the  part  of 
the  natives  for  a  knowledge  of  English,  and 
convinced  that  the  Hindu  mind,  if  well  educated 
in  science,  history,  and  philosophy,  must  refuse 
to  believe  the  principles  of  Hinduism,  he  estab- 
lished the  Mission  College  at  Calcutta  on  a  broad 
educational  basis." 

All  who  visit  India,  whether  Christian  or 
agnostic,  agree  that  the  best  antidote  for  the 
superstition  and  degradation  of  the  people  is 
the  spread  of  knowledge.  But  the  non-Chris- 
tian education  furnished  by  government  schools 
lias  failed  to  produce  any  moral  improve- 
ment. Conscious  of  this,  the  government  has 
i)i  late  encouraged  the  religious  societies  at 
work  in  the  country  to  establish  schools  of  their 
own.  An  imposing  array  of  divinity  schools, 
colleges,  seminaries,  high  schools,  English,  ver- 
nacular, boarding,  and  day  schools,  kindergarten 
and  primary,  deaf-mute,  blind,  manual  training, 
etc.,  all  on  a  Christian  basis,  now  stand  as  a 
powerful  factor  in  civilizing  and  Christianizing 
"Young  India."  Closely  allied  with  this 
department  is  the  work  of  translation  and  its 
right  hand, — tlie  printing-press.  The  indis- 
pensable character  of  this  part  of  the  work  is 
self-evident,  and  is  attested  by  the  prominence 
given  to  its  press  work  by  each  society  engaged 
in  Indian  missions. 


168 


LUX  CHBISTI 


Medical  Work 

No  greater  blessing  has  been  conferred  by 
the  American  churches  on  British  India  than 
that  of  modern  medical  missions,  first  tentatively 
and  successfully  practised  by  Dr.  John  Scudder 
(1819),  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church,  and 
now  adopted  by  all  the  societies  as  a  prominent 
feature  of  their  work. 

The  early  labors  of  John  Thomas,  colleague 
of  Carey,  had  not  been  taken  up  by  the  English, 
and  this  branch  of  labor  had  been  arrested  for  a 
time.  The  first  regular  medical  mission  of  India 
was  established  by  Dr.  H.  M.  Scudder,  son  of 
John  Scudder,  in  1850,  in  North  Arcot.  INIost 
interesting  is  the  story  of  Dr.  Colin  Valentine, 
who,  "  by  means  of  his  medical  skill  exercised 
in  the  successful  treatment  of  the  Ranee  of 
Jeypore,  wife  of  the  JMaharajah,  gained  access, 
both  for  himself  and  his  brother  missionaries, 
to  one  of  the  most  bigoted  and  exclusive  strong- 
holds of  idolatry  in  northern  India,  where  the 
United  Presbyterian  Church  has  now  a  pros- 
perous mission." 

Native  medical  practice  has  been  notoriously 
inadequate  and  pernicious,  and  perhaps  no 
country  affords  a  sadder  spectacle  of  diseased 
and  mutilated  humanity  than  does  India.  Dr. 
Duft"  first  induced  his  liengali  students  to  take 
full  medical  qualifications  in  Great  Britain. 
Indian  universities  now  give  requisite  medical 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 


169 


training,  and  a  new  order  of  intelligent  practice 
in  hospitals  and  dispensaries  has  been  ushered 
in.  Onl}"^  the  larger  cities,  however,  are  in  any 
way  as  yet  adequately  supplied.  No  more  ad- 
mirable work  has  been  undertaken  than  that 
among  lepers,  first  initiated  by  John  Newton  in 
Ludhiana,  Punjab  (Presbyterian).  Mr.  W.  C. 
Bailey,  who  had  participated  in  this  work,  was 
instrumental  in  founding  a  society  in  London. 
The  Gossner  (German)  Mission  at  Punelia 
conducts  the  largest  work  for  lepers  in  India. 
Many  other  asylums  have  been  established  where 
the  sufferers  are  tenderly  cared  for  and  led  to 
the  great  physician.  A  most  important  phase 
is  the  separation  of  yet  untainted  children  from 
leprous  parents  and  the  care  of  them  in  separate 
homes. 

Temperance  Work 

This  branch  of  reform  is  not  exclusively  a 
phase  of  Christian  missions,  as  the  Anglo-Indian 
Temperance  Association  stands  at  the  head  of 
the  work  and  is  supported  by  many  distin- 
guished Hindus.  Mission  work  has,  however, 
greatly  impressed  and  extended  temperance 
sentiment.  In  many  missions,  notably  those 
of  American  Baptists  in  Assam  and  Burma, 
all  converts  promise  total  abstinence  before 
baptism  is  administered.  Native  Hindus  as 
well  as  Mohammedans  are,  as  a  rule,  abstemi- 
ous, and  it  is  cause  for  profouJid  regret  that, 
in  the  twenty  years  from  1874  to  185)4,  under 


170 


LUX  CHBISTI 


the  excise  laws  of  the  British  government,  the 
revenue  for  sales  of  liquor  nearly  doubled. 

The  Student  Volunteer  Movement 

All  the  woi'ld  has  felt  the  thrill  of  the  fresh 
enthusiasm  infused  into  the  world's  missions  by 
the  Student  Volunteer  Movement.  Although 
the  most  recent  of  general  missionary  organi- 
zations, its  roots  reach  back  to  the  immortal 
"  Haystack "  meeting  at  Williams  College  i 
1806,  the  birthplace  of  American  Foreign  Mis- 
sions. A  handful  of  students,  met  for  an  out- 
door service,  took  refuge  from  a  thunderstorm 
beneath  a  haystack,  and  then  and  there  re- 
solved to  '■'■send  the  gospel  to  the  heathen,''  an 
took  for  their  simple,  manly  motto,  "  We  can  do 
it  if  we  will."  A  college  society  was  formed  ;, 
others  resulted  ;  some  of  the  original  movers 
died  early  and  are  almost  forgotten.  Hall  an' 
Newell,  who  became  missionaries  to  India, 
united  in  writing  a  pamphlet  entitled,  "The 
Conversion  of  the  World  ;  a  Plea  for  Six  Hun- 
dred Millions."  Dr.  John  Scudder  saw  a  copy 
in  a  sick-room,  read  it,  and  offered  lumself  as 
the  first  medical  missionary  to  India.  A  boy 
named  James  B.  Taylor  caught  the  spark  o 
Scudder's  deep  devotion,  prepared  himself  to 
become  a  missionary,  and  while  in  Priiiceto" 
College,  aided  by  Peter  Gulick,  founded  tlie 
Philadelphian  Society,  whicli  ]-(!mains  to  this 
day  the  centre  of  activity  there.  In  1877,  at  a 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 


171 


intercollegiate  Christian  conference,  the  mis- 
sionary propaganda  was  engrafted  upon  the 
general  movement  for  the  promotion  of  the 
Christian  life  in  colleges,  and  the  Student  Vol- 
unteer Movement  was  born.  Inspiration  was 
caught  from  the  spirit  of  heroic  consecration  of 
the  mission  band  of  Cambridge  University,  Eng- 
land. At  Northfield,  in  the  summer  of  1886, 
a  hundred  men  volunteered  for  foreign  service 
within  a  single  month.  Over  five  thousand  are 
now  on  the  various  fields  or  under  pledge  to  go. 
From  tlie  first  the  Student  Volunteers  have 
evinced  the  strongest  sympathy  with  medical 
work.  In  1898  Douglass  Thornton,  a  delegate 
to  the  Cleveland  conference  from  England, 
stated  that  the  majority  of  the  Student  Volunteer 
body  in  England  wer6  studying  medicine. 

New  life  blood  has  filled  the  veins  of  all 
Christendom  from  the  glorious  uprising  of 
Student  Volunteers,  which  was  termed  by  Mr. 
Moody  the  greatest  religious  movement  of  the 
century.  Its  effect  on  India  is  powerful.  In 
1897,  during  the  conferences  held  in  that 
country,  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  student 
delegates  pledged  themselves  to  devote  their 
whole  lives  to  Christian  work  in  India. 

Modern  Protestant  missions  in  India  were 
reborn  with  the  new  India  wliicli  followed  the 
Mutiny.  In  tlie  year  IB.Gl  there  were  15,000 
communicants  of  Protestant  churches  in  all 


172 


LUX  CHRISTI 


India.  In  1891  there  were  215,769.  The  cen- 
sus returns  for  1901,  only  as  yet  partially  pub- 
lished, have  been  secured  from  India  for  this 
volume  and  will  be  found  in  a  table  in  the 
Appendix.  They  furnish  reasonable  ground 
for  high  hope  and  fresh  resolution. 

Geography  of  tJie  Century's  Work 

In  the  earlier  part  of  the  century  the  work 
begun  in  the  four  commercial  centres  —  Cal- 
cutta, Bombay,  Madras,  and  Rangoon  —  and  in 
Colombo  centred  in  the  three  great  presidencies, 
in  lower  Burma,  and  in  the  island  of  Ceylon. 
Later,  Assam,  Oudli,  N.  W.  Provinces,  and  the 
Punjab  were  penetrated,  and  work  was  pushed 
north  and  east  into  Kashmir  and  Sindh,  which  re- 
main, however,  but  meagrely  cultivated.  j\Iean- 
while  Mysore  had  been  entered,  and,  in  extreme 
South  India,  Travancore,  Tinnevelly,  Madura, 
etc.,  had  become  the  most  highly  cultivated  of 
all  Indian  mission  fields,  certain  missions  being 
reported  as  "  fully  occupied."  In  Ceylon  one- 
tentlf  of  the  population  is  now  Christian,  It  is 
conceded  that  Nortli  India  is  a  more  difficult 
field  than  South,  owing,  perhaps,  to  the  greater 
hold  of  iVIohammedanism  in  the  former.  In 
general  the  feudatory  states  have  been  scarcely 
touched.  The  Nizam's  dominions  (Haidarabad) 
are  the  chief  stronghold  of  Islam  in  the  Deccan, 
and  they  are  notoriously  inaccessible  to  mission- 
aries.   There  remain  yet  enormous  populations 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE  173 


liardly  reached  in  Central  Provinces,  in  Rajpu- 
tana  (where  there  are  but  two  missionaries  to 
every  million  inhabitants),  in  Behar  (one  mis- 
sionary to  every  four  millions),  and  in  Bhopal, 
with  its  two  millions,  but  just  opened.  Among 
native  races,  the  Karens  of  Burma  bid  fair  soon 
to  merit  the  term  "  Christianized."  But  as  we 
study  the  map  we  are  forced  to  see  that  Chris- 
tianity has  as  yet  only  laid  hold  of  the  fringes 
of  the  mighty  peninsula. 


LUX  CHRISTI 

ILLUSTRATIVE  SELECTIONS 
Hymn 

The  Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war, 

A  kingly  crown  to  gain  ; 
His  blood-red  banner  streams  afar : 

^Vho  follows  in  His  train  ? 
Who  best  can  drink  his  cup  of  woe, 

Triumphant  over  pain, 
Who  patient  bears  his  cross  below, 

He  foUows  in  His  train. 

That  martyr  first,  whose  eagle  eye 

Could  pierce  beyond  the  grave; 
Who  saw  his  ]\[aster  in  the  sky, 

And  called  on  Him  to  save ; 
Like  Him,  with  pardon  on  His  tongue. 

In  midst  of  mortal  pain, 
He  prayed  for  them  that  did  the  wrong: 

AVho  follows  in  his  train  ? 

A  noble  band,  the  chosen  few, 

On  whom  the  Spirit  came, 
Twelve  valiant  saints,  their  hope  they  knew, 

And  mocked  the  torch  of  flame ; 
They  met  the  tyrant's  brandished  steel. 

The  lion's  gory  mane, 
They  bowed  their  necks  the  stroke  to  feel : 

Who  follows  in  their  train  ? 

A  noble  army,  men  and  boys. 

The  matron  and  the  maid. 
Around  the  throne  of  God  rejoice, 

In  robes  of  light  arrayed. 
They  climbed  tlie  steep  ascent  of  heaven, 

Through  peril,  toil,  and  pain ; 
O  God,  to  us  may  grace  be  given 

To  follow  in  their  train. 
—  R.  Heber,  Bishop  of  Calcutta  1822-182G. 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 


175 


"  The  Consecrated  Cobbler  " 

Christian  England  laughed  when  Sydney  Smith 
sneered  at  William  Carey  as  a  "consecrated  cobbler," 
going  on  a  fool's  errand  to  convert  the  heathen.  Carey 
died,  aged  seventy-three  years.  He  was  visited  on  his 
death-bed  by  the  Bishop  of  India,  the  head  of  the  Church 
of  England  in  that  land,  who  bowed  his  head  and  in- 
voked the  blessing  of  the  dying  missionary.  Tiie  British 
authorities  had  denied  to  Carey  a  landing-place  on  his 
first  arrival  in  Bengal;  but  when  he  died,  the  govern- 
ment dropped  all  its  flags  to  half-mast  in  honor  of  a  man 
who  had  done  more  for  India  than  any  of  their  generals. 
The  universities  of  England,  Germany,  and  America 
paid  tribute  to  his  learning,  and  to-day  Protestant  Chris- 
tianity honors  him  as  one  of  its  noblest  pioneers. 


Hymn 

O  thou,  my  soul,  forget  no  more 

The  Friend  who  all  thy  sorrows  bore. 

Let  every  idol  be  forgot ; 

But,  O  my  soul,  forget  Him  not. 

Renounce  thy  works  and  ways,  with  grief, 

And  fly  to  this  divine  relief  ; 
Nor  Him  forget,  who  left  His  throne, 

And  for  thy  life  gave  up  His  own. 

Eternal  truth  and  mercy  .shine 

In  Him,  and  He  Himself  is  thine: 
And  can.st  thou,  then,  with  sin  beset. 

Such  charms,  such  matchless  chiirms,  forget? 

O  no :  till  life  itself  depart. 

His  name  shall  cheer  and  warm  my  heart; 
And,  lisping  this,  from  earth  I'll  ri.se. 

And  join  the  chorus  of  the  skies. 
—  Krishna  Pal  (fir.st  Hindu  baptiz«^d  by 

Dr.  Carey,  1800),  translated  by  Murshmau. 


176 


LUX  CHEISTI 


"  India's  Despised  Apostles  " 

The  anti-missionaries  call  them  fools,  madmen,  tinkers, 
Calvinists,  and  schismatics,  and  keep  out  of  sight  their 
love  of  men  and  their  zeal  for  God,  and  their  self-devot- 
eduess,  their  indefatigable  industry,  their  unequalled 
learning.  These  "low-born  and  low-bred  mechanics" 
have  translated  the  whole  Bible  into  Bengali,  and  have  by 
this  time  printed  it.  They  are  printing  the  New  Testa- 
ment in  the  Sanskrit,  Orissa,  Mahratta,  the  Hindustanee, 
the  Guzerattee,  and  translated  into  Persic,  Teliuga,  Car- 
nata,  Chinese,  the  language  of  the  Sikhs  and  the  Bur- 
mese. Extraordinary  as  this  is,  it  will  appear  still  more 
so  when  it  is  remembered  that  of  these  men  one  was  orig- 
inally a  shoemaker,  another  a  printer  at  Hull,  and  the 
third  the  master  of  a  charity  school  at  Bristol.  Only 
fourteen  years  have  elapsed  since  Thomas  and  Carey  set 
foot  in  India,  and  in  that  time  these  missionaries  have 
acquired  this  gift  of  tongues.  In  fourteen  years  these 
"  low-born,  low-bred  mechanics  "  have  done  more  to  spread 
the  knowledge  of  the  Scriptures  among  the  heathen  than 
has  been  accomplished  or  even  attempted  by  all  the 
world  beside. 

—  Robert  Southey,  in  Quarterly  Review,  1807. 

Epitaph  of  Christian  Frederic  Schwartz  (1798)  on  his 
tomb  at  Tanjore,  written  by  the  Rajah  Serfojee,  to  whom 
he  had  acted  as  guardian  :  — 

Firm  wast  thou,  humble  and  wise, 
Honest,  pure,  free  from  disguise. 
Father  of  orphans,  the  widow's  support, 
Comfort  in  sorrow  of  evei'y  sort. 
To  the  benighted,  dispenser  of  light. 
Doing,  and  pointing  to  that  which  is  right. 
Blessing  to  princes,  to  people,  to  me; 
May  I,  my  father,  be  worthy  of  thee  ! 
Wisheth  and  prayeth  thy  Sarabojee. 


THE  IXVASION  OF  LOVE 


177 


My  brethren,  it  were  madness  to  shut  our  eyes  to  the 
fact  that  Christianity  has  come  to  India.  It  is  not  a  pass- 
ing episode ;  it  is  a  mighty  conquering  and  permanent 
spiritual  power,  come  to  stay  and  repeat  its  victories. 

—  Brahman  Lawyer. 


Pkeparatio  Evangelica  of  the  Seuampore  Triad 

It  is  absolutely  necessary  :  — 

1.  That  we  set  an  infinite  value  upon  immortal  souls. 

2.  That  we  gain  all  information  of  llie  snares  and 
delusions  in  \\  hich  these  heathen  are  held. 

3.  That  we  abstaiti  from  all  those  things  which  would 
increase  their  prejudices  against  the  gospel. 

4.  That  we  watch  all  opportunities  for  doing  good. 

5.  That  we  keep  to  the  example  of  Paul,  and  make 
the  great  subject  of  our  teaching  Christ  the  Crucified. 

■6.  That  the  natives  sliould  have  entire  confidence  in 
us,  and  feel  quite  at  home  in  our  company. 

7.  That  we  should  build  up  and  watch  over  the  souls 
that  may  be  gathered. 

8.  That  we  form  our  native  brethren  to  usefulness, 
fostering  every  kind  of  genius,  and  cherishing  every  gift 
and  grace  in  them,  especially  advising  the  native  churches 
to  choose  their  own  pastors  and  deacons  from  amongst 
their  own  countrymen. 

9.  That  we  labor  with  all  our  might  in  forwarding 
translations  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures  in  the  languages  of 
India. 

10.  That  we  establish  native  free  schools,  and  recom- 
mend these  establislim(!nts  to  oth(!r  Euro]ieans. 

11.  That  we  be  constant  in  prayer  and  the  cultivation 
of  personal  religion  to  fit  us  for  the  discharge  of  these 
laborious  and  unutterably  important  labor.s.  Let  us  often 
look  at  I'raincrd  in  the  woods  of  America  jiouringout  his 
very  soul  before  (iod  for  the  perishing  hcalhcn.  witliout 
■whose  salvation  nothing  could  make  him  liappy. 

N 


178 


LUX  CHBISTI 


12.  That  we  give  ourselves  unreservedly  to  this  glori- 
ous cause.  Let  us  never  think  that  our  time,  our  gifts, 
our  strength,  our  families,  or  even  the  clothes  wo  wear, 
are  our  own.  Let  us  sanctify  them  all  to  God  and  His 
cause.  O  that  He  may  sanctify  us  for  His  work!  No 
private  family  ever  enjoyed  a  greater  portion  of  hapjnness 
than  we  have  done  since  we  resolved  to  have  all  things  in 
common.  K  we  are  enabled  to  persevere,  we  may  hope 
that  multitudes  of  converted  soiils  will  have  reason  to 
bless  God  through  all  etei  nity  for  sending  His  gospel  into 
this  country. 


The  Apostle  to  Burma 

It  may  be  well  to  consider  for  a  moment  the  task 
which  Judson  had  set  befoi-e  him.  What  did  they  pro- 
pose to  do.  this  man  of  twenty-five  and  his  young  wife, 
standing  amid  the  level  rice-iields  on  the  coast  of  lower 
Burma,  with  their  faces  turned  landward  toward  towns 
and  cities  swarming  with  idolaters  and  hilltops  crowded 
with  heathen  temples  and  pagodas?  Their  purpose  was 
to  undermine  an  ancient  religion  deeply  fixed  in  the 
hearts  and  habits  of  four  hundred  millions  of  human 
beings.  —  Edwakd  Judson. 

In  tiie  Baptist  meeting-house  at  Maiden,  Mass.,  is  a 
niaiMi'  tablet  bearing  the  following  inscription:  — 

IN  mii:moriam. 

Rev.  ADONIRAM  JUDSON, 
BouN  August  9,  1788. 
Died  April  12,  1850. 
Malden  his  Birthplace. 
The  Ocean  his  Sepulchre. 
Converted  Burjians  and 
The  BtJRMAX  Biule 
His  IMonument. 
His  Rkc oiii)  is  on  High. 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 


179 


A  Heathen  Appeal 

Hindus  !  awalco,  or  you  are  lost.  How  many  thousands 
have  these  missionaries  turned  to  Christianity !  On  how 
many  more  have  they  cast  their  nets !  If  we  sleep  as 
heretofore,  in  a  shoi't  time  they  will  turn  us  all  to  Chris- 
tianity, and  our  tcMiiples  will  be  changed  into  churches. 
Is  there  no  learned  I'uudit  to  be  secured  for  money  who 
will  crush  the  Christians?  .  .  .  How  long  will  water 
remain  in  a  reservoir  which  continually  lets  out  but  re- 
ceives none  in?  Let  all  the  people  join  as  one  man  to 
banish  Christianity  from  the  land.  —  Recent  Hindu 
(^T(iinil)  Tract. 


The  Empire  of  Love 

Alexander,  Caesar,  Charlemagne,  and  myself  founded 
great  empires;  but  upon  what  did  the  creations  of  our 
genius  depend?  Upon  force.  Jesus  alone  founded  his 
empire  upon  love,  and  to  this  very  day  millions  would 
die  for  Him.  —  Words  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte. 


Conveksh)n  of  Buahmans 

No  higher  evidence  of  human  sincerity  need  be 
looked  for  than  when  a  lordly  Brahman  consents  to  bend 
in  penitential  humility  at  the  feet  of  a  man  as  destitute 
of  caste  as  is  Cliiminan  Lai,  the  native  preacher,  and  en- 
treats him  to  jiour  from  his  hand  upon  that  })roud  head 
the  water  which  forever  l)reaks  this  Brahman's  caste. 
When,  in  aildition,  this  "  aristocrat  by  creation  "  volun- 
tarily and  ])romptly  takes  off  from  his  breast  tlie  emblem 
and  outward  sign  of  his  nobilit^  (the  sacred  thread),  and 
hands  it  over  with  his  string  of  praying  beads  to  the 
administrakjr  of  the  holy  rite;,  he  lias  done  all  that  man 
can  do  in  India  to  prove  his  earnestness  ami  lionesty. 


180 


LUX  CHEISTI 


On  this  occasion  (at  Ajudhij'a,  i\Iarch,  1885)  there  were 
one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  of  these  Bi-ahmans  who  did 
all  this,  and  that,  too,  in  public  and  before  thousands  of 
their  own  people,  who  had  hitherto  honored  them  as  the 
clergy  caste  and  nobility.  —  B.  II.  Badley. 


Words  of  Witness 

During  the  few  months  since  I  came  home  from 
India  I  have  often  had  occasion  to  talk  with  men  in 
high,  powerful,  and  influential  positions,  and  not  seldom 
have  I  been  asked  with  honest  earnestness  and  great 
solicitude  what  ought,  in  my  judgment,  to  be  done  for 
India.  To  this  I  have  always  answered,  without  reserve 
or  hesitation,  that,  according  to  my  view,  tve  should  sland 
out  in  India  as  a  Christian  f/overnnifnt. 

—  Sir  IlEIiHKRT  EUWARDES,  18G0. 

Make  liim  a  Christian  and  make  Iiim  a  missionary. 

—  Daily  Prayer  of  Dr.  John  Scudder  for  his  Son. 

No  love  in  this  dark  world  li;is  ever  seemed  to  me  so 
much  like  the  Saviour's  as  that  of  Dr.  Newton  for  Iiis 
lepers.  —  By  One  who  knew  iiim. 

I  feel  my  heart  more  and  more  engaged  in  the  great 
work,  and  so  much  set  upon  it  that  I  would  rather  un- 
dergo all  the  perils  of  a  journey  from  Holland  overland  to 
Hindustan,  should  it  be  impracticable  to  obtain  a  passage 
by  sea,  than  not  go  upon  the  glad  errand. 

—  Carey  to  Andrew  Fuller,  1793. 

"Was  not  Dr.  Carey  once  a  shoemaker?"  said  a  young 
British  officer  who  liad  just  mc^t  him  at  a  social  gathering 
in  India.  "No,  sir,"  said  Dr.  Carey,  quietly  turning  on 
the  questioner,  "  only  a  cobbler." 


THE  INVASION  OF  LOVE 


181 


Personal!}',  I  owe  all  that  I  have  attained  to  the 
American  missionaries,  and  no  one  can  tell  the  incal- 
rulable  good  they  have  done  to  niy  people. 

—  Native  of  Ceylon. 

Having  studied  the  Vedas,  the  Koran,  and  the  Tripi- 
l;il<as  of  the  Buddhists,  I  have  nowhere  found  a  prayer 
so  brief  anrl  all-comprehensive  as  that  which  the  Chris- 
tians call  the  Lord's  Prayer. 

—  Ra.tah  Rammohun  Roy,  1822. 

"No  foreigner  has  ever  entered  the  Punjab  who  has 
clone  so  much  for  the  Punjab  as  Padre  Forman  Sahib." 
—  From  a  Lahore  anti-Christian  Newspaper,  1891. 

Would  to  God,  my  honored  brethren,  the  time  were 
arrived  when  not  only  in  heart  and  hope,  but  visibly,  we 
shall  be  one  fold  as  well  as  under  one  shepherd.  After  all, 
why  do  we  differ?  Surely,  the  leading  points  which  keep 
ua  asunder  are  capable  of  ex])lanation  or  of  softening. 
—  Letter  of  Bishop  Heher  to  the  Serampore  Triad, 

June  3,  1824. 

It  is  a  part  of  a  missionary's  trials  rightly  to  bear  the 
impatience  and  contradictions,  insolence  and  reproaches, 
of  men  who  are  sunk  to  the  lowest  degradation  both 
mental  and  moral.  —  Gordon  Hall,  1812-1826. 

When  asked  in  America  what  were  the  discourage- 
ments in  the  missionary  work,  Dr.  John  Scudder  answered, 
"  I  do  not  know  the  word.  I  long  ago  erased  it  from  my 
vocabulary." 


182 


LUX  CflEISTI 


THEMES  FOR  STUDY  OR  DISCUSSION 

I.  Christian  Martyrs  of  India. 
II.  Schwartz,  the  Christian. 

III.  The  Serainpore  Triad. 

IV.  William   Wilberforce,   Statesman   and  Philan- 

thropist. 

Y.  The  Decade  1810-1820  in  the  History  of  Indian 
Missions.    Great  Men  at  Work.    Great  Organi- 
zations formed. 
VI.  Alexander  Duff,  the  Founder  of  English  Education 
in  India. 

VII.  What  did  the  Mutiny  mean  to  the  IMissionary 
Enterprise  ? 

VIII.  England  and  the  Opium  Traffic  and  Excise  Laws. 
IX.  Notable  Native  Christians  (^len). 
X.  The  Haystack  Missionary  Meeting  and  its  Latest 
Outgrowth,  the  Student  A^olunteer  Movement, 
both  in  England  and  America. 
XI.  To  what  Extent  is  Denominational  Cob2)eration 

practicable  in  Indian  Missions? 
XII.  Mass  Movements  in  the  Pvvangelization  of  India. 
(Karens,  Kols,  Telugus,  Garos,  South  Indians.) 

BOOKS  OF  REFERENCE 

General  Reference  as  before.    In  Addition:  — 

Report  of  Ecumenical  Conference,  1900. 

Reports  of  Student  Volunteer  Conferences,  1898,  1902. 

Missionary  Periodical  Publications  and  Denominational 

Handbooks  (especially  for  IX). 
Clair-Tisdall's  "  India." 

Biographies  of  Carey,  Duff,  Martyn,  Wilson,  by  George 
Smith;  of  Heber,  by  Montefiore;  of  Judson,  by  Ed- 
ward Judson;  of  Carey,  Duff,  Judson,  and  Martyn, 
in  the  Missionary  Annals  Series. 

Graliam's  "  JNlissiouary  Expansion  since  the  Reformation." 


TBE  INVASION  OF  LOVE  183 


For  particular  reference  on  themes  given  above  :  — 

Butler's  "  Laud  of  the  Veda,"  VII. 

Car  US-Wilson's  "  Life  of  Irene  Petrie,"  X. 

Clarke's  "Study  of  Christian  Missions,"  XI. 

Mrs.  Clough's  "  While  sewing  Sandals,"  IX,  XII. 

Dennis's   "  Christian   Missions   and   Social  Progress," 

vni,  IX,  XII. 

Dennis's  "  Foreign  Missions  after  a  Century,"  VIII,  XI. 
Downie's  "  History  of  the  Telugu  Mission,"  IX,  XII. 
Hodgkins's  "Via  Christi,"  I,  II,  III. 
Holconib's  "Men  of  Might  in  India  Missions,"  II,  HI,  V, 
VI,  X. 

Lawrence's  "  Modern  Missions  in  the  East,"  VII,  XII. 

Leonard's  "Missionary  Annals  of  the  Nineteenth  Cen- 
tury," V,  VIT,  X,  XII. 

Marshman's  "  Carey,  Marshman,  and  Ward "  (out  of 
print).  III,  IV. 

Mott's  "  Strategic  Points  in  the  World's  Conquest,"  X. 

Satthianadlian's  "  Sketches  of  India  Christians,"  IX. 

Sherring's  "  History  of  Protestant  Mission  in  India,"  H, 
HI,  V,  VI,  XH. 

Smith's  "Conversion  of  India."  For  all  but  IV,  VHI, 
X,  XI. 

Thoburn's  "  India  and  Malaysia,"  II,  III,  V,  VI,  IX,  XU. 
Thoburn's  "Missionary  Apprenticeship,"  VH. 
Wameck's  "Outline  of  History  of  Protestant  Mi.ssions," 
11,  III,  V,  VI,  XII. 


IMPORTAXT  DATES  IX  HISTORY  OF  WORK 
FOR  THE  WOMEN  OF  INDIA 


1800-1807 

Hannah  Marshman  establishes  girls'  schools. 

1802  .  .  . 

Female  infanticide  forbidden  by  law. 

1816  .  .  . 

Ann  H.  Judson  teaches  womeu  and  children 

of  Burma. 

1822  .  .  . 

Miss  Cooke,  C.  M.  S.,  opens  schools  for 

secluded  women. 

1825  .  .  . 

Wives  of  Bombay  missionaries  open  schools. 

1829  .  .  . 

Suttee  abolished. 

1834  .  .  . 

First  English  women's  missionary  society. 

F.  E.  S.    (Church  of  England.) 

1837  .  .  . 

Ladies'  societies  of  Church  of  Scotland  for 

female  education  in  India. 

1851  .  .  . 

First    ladies'    medical   missionary  society, 

Philadelphia,  founded  by  Sarah  J.  Hale. 

1856  .  .  . 

Remarriage  Act  passed. 

1861  .  .  . 

Woman's  Union  Missionary  Society  founded 

by  Mrs.  Doremus. 

1868-1878 

Formation  of  women's  societies  in  leading  de- 

nominations of  United  States  and  Canada. 

18G9  .  .  . 

Dr.  Clara  Swain,  first  lady  missionary  physi- 

cian, goes  to  Bareilly. 

1876  .  .  . 

Indian  universities  open  to  women. 

1880  .  .  . 

Dr.  Fanny  Butler,  first  Dnglish  lady  physi- 

cian, goes  to  Kashmir. 

1884  .  .  . 

Miss  Chandra  Mukhi  Bose  takes  degree  of 

M.A.  at  University  of  Calcutta. 

1886  .  .  . 

Dr.  Joshee  takes  medical  degree. 

1886  .  .  . 

Lady  Dufferin  Association. 

1886  .  .  . 

Ramabai's  first  visit  to  America. 

1886  .  .  . 

W.  C.  T.  U.  introduced  into  India. 

1891  .  .  . 

Age  of  consent  raised  by  law  to  twelve  years. 

1893  .  .  . 

Miss  Cornelia  Sorabji  admitted  to  the  bar 

at  Bombay. 

1894  .  .  . 

North  India  School  of  Medicine  for  Christian 

women. 

CHAPTER  V 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORK  FOR  WOMEN 

Foi"  Mercy  has  a  human  heart ; 
Pity,  a  human  face ; 
And  J^ove,  the  human  form  divine ; 
And  Peace,  the  human  dress. 

—  William  Blake. 

The  hall-mark  of  modern  Hinduism  is  the 
degradation  of  women.  Woman  is  the  "  gate 
to  hell,"  "a  whirlpool  of  suspicion,"  "a  dwell- 
ing-place of  vices,"  "  a  poison  that  appears  like 
nectar."  Only  to  a  mother  of  sons,  and  above 
all  to  a  mother-in-law,  is  respect  or  consider- 
ation accorded. 

I.  SUMMARY  OF  WOMAN'S  WRONGS 

The  chief  of  the  social  wrongs  of  woman  are, 
in  brief,  her  marriage  in  infancy  to  a  man 
arbitrarily  chosen  for  her,  her  possible  child- 
widowhood,  her  entering  into  married  life  at 
ten  or  twelve  years,  the  physical  injuries  of 
premature  motlierhood  combined  witli  neglect 
of  all  ])roper  treatment,  lier  absoluti;  ignorance, 
bar  enforced  and  unnatural  seclusion.  To  these 
must  be  added  the  nameless  evils  of  polygamy 
185 


186 


LUX  CHRISTI 


and  concubinage,  the  possible  doom  of  infan- 
ticide not  yet  wholly  done  away  with,  and  the 
low  moral  tone  of  family  life. 

Without  further  recapitulation  we  will  quote 
Mr.  Kipling's  verdict,  and  proceed  to  consider 
what  has  thus  far  been  accomplished  by  various 
agencies  toward  the  uplifting  of  the  status  of 
Indian  women  and  the  mitigation  of  their  suf- 
ferings. 

Verdict  of  a  Close  Observer 

"  The  matter  with  this  country,"  says  ^Ir. 
Kipling,  than  whom  no  man  knows  his  India 
better,  is  not  in  the  least  political,  but  an 
all-round  entanglement  of  physical,  social,  and 
moral  evils  and  corruption,  all  more  or  less 
due  to  the  unnatural  treatment  of  women. 
You  cannot  gather  figs  from  thistles,  and  so 
long  as  the  system  of  infant  marriage,  the  pro- 
hibition of  the  remarriage  of  widows,  the  life- 
long imprisonment  of  Avives  in  a  worse  than 
penal  confinement,  and  the  withholding  from 
them  of  any  kind  of  education  as  rational 
beings  continues,  the  country  cannot  advance 
a  step.  Half  of  it  is  morally  dead,  and  worse 
than  dead,  and  that  is  just  the  half  from  which 
we  have  a  right  to  look  for  the  best  impulses. 
The  foundations  of  life  are  rotten,  utterly  rot- 
ten, and  beastly  rotten.  The  men  talk  of  their 
rights  and  privileges.  I  have  seen  the  women 
that  bear  these  men.  May  God  forgive  the 
men !  " 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORK  FOR  WOMEN  187 


II.  GOVERNMENT  REFORMS 

Female  Infanticide 

In  1794,  within  the  year  after  his  arrival  in 
India,  Carey  discovered  the  practice  of  sacri- 
ficial infanticide  at  the  annual  festivals  at 
Ganga  Sagar  and  on  the  Ganges.  Through 
his  friend,  Mr.  Udny,  the  atrocious  crime  was 
laid  before  Lord  Wellesley,  then  governor- 
general,  and  a  statesman  of  humane  and  en- 
lightened views.  ^Ir.  Carey's  position  as  Pro- 
fessor of  Bengali  in  Fort  William  College  at 
Calcutta,  surrounded  by  learned  pundits  from 
all  parts  of  the  empire,  gave  him  peculiar  ad- 
vantages in  investigating  the  subject,  and  he 
was  appointed  by  government  to  report  upon  it. 
His  labors  were  successful.  A  law  was  speed- 
ily passed  prohibiting  this  form  of  human  sac- 
rifice under  severe  penalty.  From  that  time 
open  infanticide  has  ceased;  but  the  death-rate 
among  girl  babies  continues  to  be  singularly 
excessive.  The  census  of  1870  revealed  "  the 
curious  fact "  that  three  hundred  female  infants 
were  stolen  by  wolves  from  within  the  city  of 
Amritsar. 

Suttee 

From  the  period  of  his  settlement  in  Seram- 
pore  Carey  had  been  unremitting  in  his  en- 
deavors to  draw  the  attention  of  government  to 
the  practice  of  suttee,  having  been  roused  to  a 
passion  of  indigna.tion  by  witnessing  the  burning 


188 


LUX  CHRISTI 


of  a  shrieking,  struggling  woman  held  forcibly 
down  to  the  pile.  This  custom  was  not  enjoined 
by  the  Code  of  Manu,  and  was  therefore  a  later 
enactment  of  the  Brahmans,  for  what  purpose 
or  with  what  motive  has  never  been  fully  de- 
termined. The  motive  of  the  victim,  who  thus 
immolated  herself  on  the  funeral  pyre  of  her 
husband,  is  not  far  to  seek.  She  was  assured 
of  a  glorious  and  immediate  entrance  into  par- 
adise by  this  voluntary  death ;  if  she  avoided 
it,  she  was  assured  of  the  wretched  ignominy  of 
despised  widowhood.  Carey  and  his  colleagues, 
in  1804,  sent  ten  agents  from  village  to  village 
within  a  circuit  of  thirty  miles  of  Calcutta, 
to  collect  information  regarding  the  practice. 
They  reported  that  within  those  villages  more 
than  three  hundred  widows  had  been  burned 
within  six  months.  He  further  learned  from 
the  pundits  that  suttee  was  "simply  encour- 
aged as  a  virtue  "  by  the  Shastras,  not  com- 
manded. 

Carey  embodied  all  the  results  of  his  inves- 
tigation in  a  memorial  which  he  presented  to 
Lord  Wellesley.  This  was  the  first  official  notice 
regarding  suttee  ever  placed  on  the  government 
records.  Lord  Wellesley,  who  was  inclined  per- 
sonally to  a  prohibitory  act,  unhappily  left  his 
seat  of  office  seven  days  later.  A  reactionary 
policy,  actuated  by  anti-liberal  and  anti-mis- 
sionary prejudice,  followed  ;  all  hope  of  prompt 
and  vigorous  action  vanished,  and  during  the 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORK  FOR  W0ME2i'  189 


followdng  twenty-five  years  seventy  thousand 
widows  ascended  the  pile  and  met  their  fiery 
death,  while  Carey  "  waited  and  prayed,  and 
every  day  saw  the  devilish  smoke  ascend  along 
the  banks  of  the  Ganges."  In  1829,  under  the 
broad  and  benevolent  rule  of  Lord  Bentinck, 
an  act  was  passed  prohibiting  suttee  under 
stringent  penal  enactment. 

It  was  not  until  1856  that,  after  much  agita- 
tion, an  act  was  passed  legalizing  the  remarriage 
of  widows.  In  the  forty-six  years  since  that 
time  only  five  hundred  widows  have  remarried. 
The  intensity  of  Hindu  prejudice  against  such 
marriages,  the  despotic  tyranny  of  custom,  leads 
to  persecution  and  obloquy  which  few  men  and 
women  can  face.  In  spite  of  the  ardent  efforts 
of  Keshub  Chunder  Sen  and  other  native  re- 
formers, the  law  thus  far  remains  a  dead  letter. 

Child  Marriage 

In  1871,  Mr.  Sen,  as  president  of  the  Indian 
Reform  Association,  agitated  the  subject  of 
raising  the  age  for  the  consummation  of  mar- 
riage to  fourteen  years.  His  efforts  were  ably 
seconded  by  the  Parsi  reformer,  ^lahibari,  and 
also  by  the  W.  C.  T.  U.  of  Bombay.  Tlie 
horrible  death  of  Phulmani  Dasi,  a  little  girl 
under  twelve,  in  1890,  roused  botli  the  Indian 
and  British  public.  Mrs.  Monelle  ^Mansell,  an 
American  medical  missionary  residing  in  Luck- 
now,  framed  a  memorial  to  government  signed 


190 


LUX  CIIRISTI 


by  fifty-five  lady  physicians  in  India,  citing 
facts  coming  under  their  own  personal  obser- 
vation. 

"These  cases,"  says  the  Indian  Witness  of 
October,  1890,  "  are  too  horrible  and  sickening 
in  their  awful  details  to  be  given  to  the  public. 
They  prove  to  the  hilt  all  the  heavy  charges 
brought  against  the  system  of  child-marriage 
on  the  ground  of  suffering  inflicted.  Death, 
crippling  for  life,  agony  indescribable,  torture 
that  would  put  a  fiend  to  shame  —  these  are  all 
here.  If  the  ofhcials  of  the  Indian  government 
can  read  this  memorial  without  blenching,  their 
hearts  are  turned  to  stone." 

The  memorial  concludes :  "  In  view  of  the 
above  facts,  the  undersigned  lady  doctors  and 
medical  practitioners  appeal  to  your  Excellency's 
compassion  to  enact  or  introduce  a  measure  by 
which  the  consummation  of  marriage  will  not 
be  permitted  before  the  wife  has  passed  the  full 
age  of  fourteen  years." 

Another  memorial,  to  the  same  effect,  ad- 
dressed directly  to  her  Majesty,  the  Queen 
Empress,  was  sent  in,  signed  by  eighteen  hun 
dred  native  ladies  from  all  over  India.  Peti 
tions  and  protests  against  such  enactment  wer 
presented  in  force ;  but  after  thorough  sifting 
on  March  19,  1891,  a  com})romise  measure  wa 
carried,  and  a  bill  was  passed  whereby  the  ag 
of  consent  was  raised  from  ten  to  twelve. 

Similar  reform  measures,  although  in  man 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORK  FOR  WOMEN  191 


cases  the  age  named  is  eight  years,  have  been 
introduced  into  the  feudatory  states. 

Education 

In  educational  matters  the  government  has 
followed  a  liberal  policy  for  women.  Besides 
the  various  schools  of  all  grades  open  to  girls, 
the  five  great  Indian  universities,  at  Madras, 
Bombay,  Calcutta,  Lahore,  and  Allaliabad,  are  all 
open  to  women.  Beginning  in  the  year  1866, 
Mary  Carpenter,  an  eminent  Englishwoman, 
visited  India  four  times  with  a  view  to  improv- 
ing the  condition  of  the  women,  and  at  her 
instance  several  schools  for  them  were  founded 
by  the  British  government. 

For  a  number  of  minor  government  enact- 
ments in  favor  of  women,  we  refer  the  student 
to  Mrs.  Fuller's  invaluable  book,  "  The  Wrongs 
of  Indian  Womanhood." 

Tlie  formula  of  Die  triologue  of  the  British 
government,  tlie  oath  administered  in  the  Pun- 
jab by  Lord  Lawrence,  partially  epitomizes  the 
reforms  thus  far  undertaken  :  — 

1.  Thou  shalt  not  burn  thy  widows. 

2.  Thou  shalt  not  kill  thy  daugliters. 

3.  Thou  slialt  not  bury  alive  thy  lepers. 

III.    TIIK  WORK  OF  CHRISTIAN  WOMEN 

Early  Laborers 

The  first  direct  effort  maih;  in  behalf  of  the 
native  women  of  India  by  a  Christian  woman 


192 


LUX  CHEISTI 


was  embodied  in  the  day  schools  at  Serampore 
opened  by  Mrs.  Hannah  Marshman  in  1800  and 
1807. 

Among  her  pupils  were  Eurasian  girls,  a  class 
met  with  all  over  India,  the  offspring  of  Euro- 
peans and  natives.  The  Eurasians  are  a  dis- 
tinct element  in  the  population,  usually  speaking 
English,  and  more  easily  accessible  tlian  full- 
blooded  Hindus,  as  they  are  without  caste. 
Tliey  are  sometimes  unfairly  said  to  embody  the 
vices  of  both  races  with  the  virtues  of  neither. 
The  part  of  Eurasians  in  carrying  the  gospel 
to  their  sisters  in  the  early  days  of  the  last 
century  should  never  be  forgotten.  In  1819 
a  company  of  young  Eurasians,  who  had  been 
instructed  by  Mrs.  Marshman,  formed  a  society 
for  the  education  of  Indian  women.  In  tln-ce 
years  they  had  six  schools  and  one  liundred  and 
sixty  pupils. 

About  this  time  we  read  of  Mrs.  Judson's 
labors  among  the  Burmese  women,  and  of 
similar  work  by  the  wives  of  the  Bombay 
missionaries,  Mrs.  Wilson  in  1830  being  re- 
ported as  carrying  on  six  schools.  In  1821 
Miss  Cooke  of  the  C.  M.  S.,  the  first  single 
woman  to  enter  India  as  a  missionary,  began 
work  among  the  Zenana  women. 

Beginnings 

With  the  formation  of  tlie  English  Society 
for  the  Promoting  Female  Education  in  the 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORK  FOR  WOMEN  193 

East  —  the  F.E.S. —  in  1834,  and  the  Ladies' 
Societies  of  the  Church  of  Scothxud  three  years 
later,  began  the  organized  work  of  the  Chris- 
tian women  of  Great  Britain  for  the  women 
of  India.  In  the  United  States,  Women's  Soci- 
eties for  the  Promotion  of  Missionary  Endeavor 
had  existed  even  as  early  as  1800,  when  we  hear 
of  the  Boston  Female  Society  for  jjromoting 
the  Diffusion  of  Cliristian  Knowledge.  Similar 
societies  came  into  existence  in  all  the  larger 
denominations  in  the  fii'st  half  of  the  century, 
and  in  1851  a  Ladies'  Medical  Missionary 
Society  was  formed  in  Philadelphia  by  Mrs. 
S.  J.  Plale.  It  was  not  until  18G1,  howcA^er, 
that  American  women  began  to  organize  for  the 
clearly  defined  purpose  of  supplementing  gen- 
eral missionary  Avork  by  sending  unmarried 
women  to  work  among  the  girls  and  women  of 
heathen  peoples,  wlio  could  be  reached  only  by 
women. 

Mrs.  T.  C.  Doremus  of  New  York  was  the 
moving  spirit  in  the  earliest  effort  of  this  kind, 
v\z.,  the  Woman's  Union  Missionary  Society,  in 
which  six  different  denominations  were  repre- 
sented. Twenty-five  years  earlier  Mrs.  Dore- 
mus had  been  powerfully  affected  by  the  urgent 
appeal  of  David  Abeel,  an  American  missionary 
from  China,  tlirough  whose  means  the  English 
F.E.S.  had  been  established,  and  whose  iiillu- 
ence,  thus  extended  to  American  women,  has 
been  world  wide  in  its  working, 
o 


194 


LXJX  CHEISri 


The  loving  heart,  the  generous  hand,  and 
catholic  spirit  of  Mrs.  Doremus  well  typified 
the  earnestness  and  enthusiasm  of  this  early 
expression  of  missionary  zeal.  The  first  mes- 
sengers direct  from  the  Christian  women  of 
America  to  the  women  of  India  —  Miss  Mars- 
ton,  Miss  Higby,  and  Miss  Fevre  —  were  sent  by 
the  new  society  to  Burma.  In  18G2  Miss  B-rit- 
tan  was  sent  to  Calcutta  as  a  teacher  in  the 
zenanas,  a  word  which  had  not  until  this  time 
became  familiar  to  American  ears.  Her  work 
is  known  in  Calcutta  as  the  American  Dore- 
mus Zenana  Mission.  Miss  Brittan  was  later 
joined  by  a  large  force  of  workers,  and  the 
efforts  of  the  society  have  extended  to  Alla- 
habad, Rajpore,  and  other  centres.  The  Union 
Society  is  not  an  auxiliary,  but  an  independent 
and  interdenominational  organization. 

Engluh  Societies 

In  England  the  formation  of  women's  auxil- 
iaries to  the  various  missiouary  societies  began 
somewhat  earlier  than  in  this  country.  In  1858 
the  women  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  body 
formed  a  society  in  response  to  appeals  of  the 
wives  of  missionaries  in  India,  and  they  now 
support  about  forty  missionaries  in  the  Madras 
and  Calcutta  presidencies  and  in  Ceylon.  In 
1865  a  society  of  ladies  was  formed  in  London, 
auxiliary  to  the  S.  P.  G.,  which  now  sustains  a 
very  strong  work  in  tlie  Fnujab.    The  English 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORE  FOR  WOMEN  195 


Baptist  Zenana  jNIission  was  instituted  in  1867, 
;ind  supports  twenty  missionaries  in  India  at 
stations  stretching  from  Calcutta  to  Madras. 
In  1880  was  formed  the  Church  of  England 
Zenana  Missionary  Society,  which  is  carrying 
on  finely  organized  and  vigorous  work  on 
evangelistic,  educational,  and  medical  lines. 

First  American  Auxiliary 

The  first  of  the  series  of  denominational  aux- 
iliaries to  be  organized  in  the  United  States 
was  that  of  the  Congregational  women  in 
Boston  and  vicinity,  in  the  Old  South  Chapel 
in  January,  1866.  This  meeting  inspires  pe- 
culiar interest  as  marking  the  rise  of  the  great 
organized  Woman's  Work  for  Woman,  whicli 
grew  and  spread  with  such  effectual  power  and 
energy  during  the  last  quarter  of  the  nine- 
teenth century. 

Mrs.  Winslow,  of  the  Madura  Mission  of  the 
American  Board,  and  Mrs.  Butler,  of  the  Metho- 
dist Mission  in  North  India,  were  present.  It 
was  shown  that  the  condition  of  women  in  India 
had  always  interposed  an  insuperable  obstacle 
to  the  spread  of  the  gospel ;  while  many  en- 
couraging facts  were  given  to  prove  that  an 
effectual  door  was  open  for  their  evangelization 
by  the  plan  proposed  of  sending  out  single 
women  to  labor  for  their  own  sex.  Mrs.  Butler 
showed  clearly  that  the  only  means  of  reaching 
the  secluded  women  then  (!xisting  was  through 

I 


196 


LUX  CHRISTI 


the  wives  of  missionaries,  who  with  their  own 
family  cares  were  wliolly  unequal  to  the  work. 
Several  single  women  had  already  offered  them- 
selves for  the  service.  The  hour  was  full  of 
solemnity;  an  especial  sense  of  the  enduement 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  with  a  new  baptism  of  mis- 
sionary consecration,  rested  upon  the  company. 
An  organization  was  effected  with  the  follow- 
ing as  the  first  article  of  its  constitution :  — 

"  The  object  of  this  society  is  to  engage  the 
earnest,  systematic  cooperation  of  the  women 
of  New  England  with  the  existing  boards  for 
foreign  missions  in  sending  out  and  supporting 
unmarried  female  missionaries  and  teachers  to 
heathen  women."  "It  was  a  day  of  begin- 
nings. Not  one  missionary  in  the  field,  not  an 
auxiliary  society  to  rest  upon,  only  a  few  women 
full  of  faith  and  zeal  —  only  these,  and  God. 
...  In  the  incipient  stage  of  the  enterprise 
the  membership  knew  not  whereunto  it  was 
called;  and  a  few  months  sufficed,  by  the  great 
enlargement  of  the  work,  to  show  that  it  would 
be  wiser  for  the  ladies  of  each  denomination  to 
cooperate  separately  with  their  own  foreign 
missionary  board." 

Shortly  after,  the  words  limiting  tlie  con- 
stitiiency  of  the  society  to  New  England  were 
stricken  from  tlie  name  and  constitution,  and  in 
March,  1869,  the  Woman's  Board  of  Missions 
was  incorporated,  auxiliary  to  the  A.  B.  C.  F.  M. 
The  first  number  of  the  magazine.  Life  and 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORK  FOR   WOilEN  197 


Light  for  Heathen  Women,  was  issued  during 
the  same  month. 

A  Decade  of  Organization 

The  decade  1868-1878  witnessed  the  forma- 
tion of  some  kindred  organization  in  almost 
every  evangelical  body  of  the  United  States 
and  Canada,  springing  from  this  same  root. 
In  1868  the  Woman's  Board  of  the  Interior 
(Congregational)  was  formed,  with  its  centre  in 
Chicago. 

In  the  chapel  of  the  Tremont  Street  iSIethodist 
Church,  Boston,  on  the  23d  of  March,  1869, 
Mrs.  Butler,  the  wife  of  the  founder  of  the 
India  Mission,  who  had  taken  a  deep  interest 
in' the  formation  of  the  Woman's  Board,  with 
Mrs.  E.  W.  Parker,  just  returned  from  India, 
and  six  other  ladies,  organized  the  Woman's 
Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist 
Church.  At  a  meeting  held  a  few  weeks  later 
the  name  of  Isabella  Thoburn  was  presented  to 
the  new  society  as  ready  to  sail  for  India  under 
their  auspices,  if  appointed.  Some  timid  ones 
shrank  from  so  soon  assuming  the  responsibility 
of  a  missionary's  support,  but  Mrs.  Edward  F. 
Porter  rose  and  exclaimed:  "Shall  we  lose  her 
because  we  have  not  the  needed  money  in  our 
hands?  No,  rather  let  us  walk  the  streets  of 
Boston  in  calico  and  save  the  expense  of  more 
costly  apparel.  Mrs.  President,  I  move  the 
appointment  of  Miss  Thoburn  as  f)ur  missionarj- 


198 


LUX  CHRISTI 


to  India."  The  response  of  the  meeting  was 
unanimous,  "We  will  send  her."  Vigorous 
Methodist  societies  have  been  formed  since  the 
first,  both  in  the  United  States  and  in  Canada, 
the  latter  not  until  1881. 

In  1870  the  organization  already  existing  for 
home  missionary  purposes  among  the  Presby- 
terian women  of  New  York  enlarged  its  field 
of  labor  and  adopted  the  name,  the  Ladies' 
Board  of  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
auxiliary  to  the  home  and  foreign  boards,  and 
that  same  year  were  organized  similar  societies 
among  Presbyterian  women  of  Philadelphia  and 
of  the  Northwest. 

In  1871  the  woman's  auxiliary  of  the  Foreign 
Missionary  Society  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  was  formed ;  and  in  the  same  year 
eleven  Baptist  ladies  met  in  Newton  Centre, 
Mass.,  "  for  the  purpose  of  forming  a  woman's 
missionary  society  for  the  benefit  of  women 
in  heathen  lands."  The  appeals  which  led 
directly  to  this  organization  were  contained 
in  letters  written  in  1869  and  1870  by  Mrs. 
Carpenter  of  Bassein,  Burma.  The  girls' 
school  was  growing  beyond  the  capacity  of 
the  busy,  burdened  missionary's  wife,  with  her 
one  helper,  to  meet.  Mrs.  Carpenter  made  a 
fervent  appeal  for  "  a  woman  of  character  and 
piety  to  take  charge  of  the  female  department 
in  the  scliool.  We  are  doing  all  we  have 
strength  for,  but  we  see  the  harvest  perishing 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORK  FOR  WOMEN  199 


for  lack  of  reapers.  Pray  for  us.  /  am  not 
sure  that  you  yourselves  have  not  a  ivork  to  do  for 
missions  at  home — the  forming  of  women's  so- 
cieties auxiliary  to  the  Missionary  Union.  I 
believe  that  is  the  true  course."  The  Women's 
Society  of  tlie  West  (Baptist)  was  formed  the 
same  year. 

Two  years  later  the  women  of  the  Free-will 
Baptist  body,  who  had  maintained  a  society  for 
circulating  missionary  intelligence  and  collect- 
ing funds  since  1847,  decided  to  take  advanced 
ground,  and  with  the  approval  of  their  Foreign 
Missionary  Board  to  select  and  support  thence- 
forth their  own  missionaries. 

The  Christian  Woman's  Board  of  Missions 
was  organized  in  Cincinnati  in  October,  1874. 
For  some  years  its  work  was  largely  confined 
to  Jamaica,  but  in  1882  Miss  Greybiel  of  New 
York  with  three  other  young  Avomen  were  sent 
to  Ellichpore,  India,  as  Bible  teachers  and  mis- 
sionaries. Though  employed  by  the  society, 
those  all,  at  their  own  request,  went  out  with- 
out stipulated  salary,  trusting  to  God  and  their 

-ters  for  support. 

Tbe  Woman's  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of 
the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  began  its  work  in 
r  1875  in  New  York  City,  with  Mrs.  Jonathan 
I  Sturges  as  president.  This  church,  "  founded 
by  the  martyrs  annd  the  fires  of  the  Reforma- 
^  tion  in  Holland,"  has  carried  on  the  famous 
/  Arcot  Mission  in  India  with  characteristic  thor- 

1 


200 


LUX  CHBISTI 


oughness  and  devotion  on  the  part  of  both  men 
and  women  workers. 

In  September  and  October,  1876,  the  Baptist 
women  of  Canada,  East  and  West,  the  former 
in  Montreal,  and  the  latter  in  Toronto,  effected 
their  organization  for  work  in  foi-eigu  missions. 
The  Presbyterian  Woman's  Society  of  Canada 
followed  the  next  year.  Just  over  the  line  of 
the  decade,  in  1879,  occurred  the  organization  of 
the  Lutheran  Woman's  Society.  All  these  soci- 
eties have  entered  with  energetic  life  into  the 
work  of  their  respective  boards  in  India. 

Women  s  Work  in  India  Demanded 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  story  of  a  decade  of  or- 
ganized work  of  Christian  women  for  their  hea- 
then sisters.  It  is  impossible  in  this  volume  to 
describe  the  fields  of  labor  or  to  name  the  noble 
women  sent  out  to  represent  the  societies.  The 
ranks  are  constantly  recruited  by  new  organiza- 
tions. The  latest,  but  one  of  the  most  promis- 
ing auxiliaries,  is  that  of  the  Swedish  Lutheran 
women,  the  K.  M.  A.  of  Stockholm.  They  be- 
gan work  in  1896  in  Central  Provinces.  The 
work  of  all  is  done  in  perfect  harmony  with 
that  of  the  affiliated  boards,  and  it  has  proved 
an  invaluable  supplement  to  their  enterprise. 
The  necessity  for  this  definite  effort  is  so  mani- 
fest that  explanation  and  apology  are  wholly 
superfluous.  Take  Mr.  Kii)ling's  awful  arraign- 
ment of  the  condition  of  Indian  women,  and 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORK  FOR  WOMEN  201 


[)lace  beside  it  tlie  well-known  impossibility  of 
men  missionaries  reaching  them,  and  there  is 
hut  one  solution  to  the  problem,  viz.,  the  inter- 
position of  Christian  women.  To  make  such 
interposition  most  thorough  and  effective,  sepa- 
late  but  auxiliary  organization  is  needful.  All 
criticism  of  women's  Avork  as  leading  to  diver- 
sion of  gifts  from  the  general  treasury,  and  of 
needless  multiplying  of  organizations,  falls  be- 
f(jre  the  incontrovertible  facts  that  the  churches 
with  the  most  active  women's  circles  are  uni- 
formly the  most  generous  contributors  to  gen- 
L-ral  boards,  and  that  the  increase  in  knowledge 
i)f  missionary  interests  is  almost  wholly  de- 
})endent  upon  the  efforts  of  women's  societies. 
Thirty-five  years  ago  there  was  not  a  woman's 
foreign  missionary  society  in  America ;  now 
there  are  45  societies,  more  than  20,000  local 
;uixiliaries,  and  7000  mission  bands.  In  1899 
there  were  150,000,000  of  printed  pages  sent 
out  for  use  among  this  force  of  workers. 

Seventy  years  ago  Alexander  Duff,  studying 
the  seclusion  and  degradation  of  women  in  Cal- 
cutta, said,  that  "  to  try  to  educate  women  in 
India  was  as  vain  as  to  attempt  to  scale  a  wall 
five  hundred  yards  high."  Dr.  Duff,  great  as 
was  his  wisdom,  was  not  prophet  enougli  to  see 
that  in  the  last  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury a  great  army  of  women  of  holy  heart  and 
life  would  invade  India,  and  prove  mighty 
through  God,  not  to  scale  that  wall,  but  to 


202 


LUX  CHRISTI 


throw  it  down.  It  is  they,  and  they  alone, 
who  can  reach  the  women  of  India. 

IV.  THREEFOLD  METHOD  OF  CHRISTIAN  WOMEN 
—  EVANGELISTIC,  EDUCATIONAL,  MEDICAL 

(i)  Evangelistic. 

The  earliest  method  of  evangelizing  higher 
caste  women  was  known  as  zenana  work,  mean- 
ing personal  visits  of  missionaries  to  the  secluded 
inmates  of  Hindu  and  Mohammedan  homes. 
Precisely  when  this  work  was  initiated,  or  by 
whom,  cannot  be  determined;  but  it  is  certain 
that  in  1840  Dr.  T.  Smith  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Fordyce,  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  began 
such  a  movement,  and  that  such  work  was  ably 
carried  on  also  by  Mrs.  Mullens  and  Mrs.  Sale. 
To  the  latter,  wife  of  Rev.  John  Sale,  missionary 
in  Calcutta,  is  often  given  the  credit  of  first 
entering  the  Hindu  zenana  with  the  message 
of  salvation.  The  Baptist  Zenana  Missionary 
Society  was  an  outgrowtli  of  her  work,  followed 
by  that  of  Mrs.  Lewis.  A  slightly  different 
method,  also  known  as  zenana  work,  was  begun 
as  early  as  1822,  by  Miss  Cooke  of  the  C.  M.  S. 
This  was  largely  educational,  and  the  late  Dow- 
ager Lady  Kinnaird,  through  whose  influence 
the  Church  of  England  Zenana  Missionary 
Society  (C.  E.  Z.  M.  S.)  was  formed,  may  be 
regarded  as  its  mainstay.  The  Indian  Femal 
Normal  School  and  Instruction  So<;iety  was  or- 
ganized in  1852  for  work  among  zenana  women. 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORK  FOR  WOMEN  203 


Aside  from  all  educational  efforts  connected 
with  it  the  work  in  zenanas  has  been,  since  the 
days  of  Mrs.  Sale  and  Mrs.  Mullens,  the  favorite 
channel  of  direct  evangelization.  In  this  close, 
heart-to-heart  encounter  the  Chi-istian  mission- 
ary learns  the  needs  and  the  sorrows  of  India's 
"[ipressed  wives  and  mothers.  Here,  in  the 
\  try  deepest  part  of  it,  absolutely  closed  to  men 
missionaries,  the  family  life  in  all  its  multiform 
misery  can  be  reached  with  the  healing  and 
purifying  touch  of  Christianity.  Empty-headed, 
frivolous,  lifeless  as  is  the  ordinary  Hindu  or 
Mohammedan  woman,  she  is  yet  within  reach 
of  the  motives  which  the  missionary  thus  brings 
to  bear  upon  her,  and  great  have  been  the  results 
in. leading  such  as  these  to  Christ.  There  are 
now  estimated  to  be  fifty  thousand  zenanas  in 
I  ndia  open  to  the  visits  of  Christian  missionary 
\\  omen,  but  there  are  forty  millions  of  women  in 
/.  Mianas  who  can  be  reached  by  no  other  agency. 

Closely  allied  to  this  line  of  work  is  that 
of  house-to-house  visiting  among  non-secluded 
low-caste  and  non-caste  women.  This  work 
il  volves  largely  upon  the  single  women  sent 

I  it  by  our  societies,  as  does  also  the  work  of 

I I  lining  those  most  invaluable  adjuncts  to  their 
w  ork,  the  native  Biblowomen,  whose  knowledge 
of  the  mental  and  social  liabits  of  their  country- 
women enables  tliem  to  reach  their  real  needs 

it  is  hardly  pos.sibh;  for  English  and  Ameri- 
e<ui  women  to  do.    High  faith  and  courage  have 


204 


LUX  CHEISTI 


been  shown  by  these  native  helpers,  who,  in  the 
testing  times  of  plague  and  famine,  have  proved 
themselves  made  of  heroic  stuff.  In  addition 
to  their  common  routine,  the  Biblewomen  often 
visit  the  great  heathen  festivals,  and  engage  in 
personal  work  among  the  deluded  worshippers 
of  Jagan-nath  and  Krishna,  with  a  good  measure 
of  success.  An  effective  method  is  that  of 
"  touring,"  travelling  from  village  to  village  in 
a  house-boat,  or  with  a  tent,  everywhere  speak- 
ing to  the  women  of  Christ's  salvation,  and 
distributing  tracts  and  Bibles.  The  instruction 
of  the  women  of  the  native  church  in  the  rudi- 
ments of  Christian  doctrine  is  another  important 
branch  of  women's  work. 
(2)  Educational. 

The  evangelistic  work  of  women  missionaries, 
since  it  does  not  include  public  preaching,  is  of 
necessity  closely  allied  to  teaching,  not  only 
exclusively  religious  teaching  in  Bible  schools, 
but  general  teaching  in  boarding  and  day 
schools,  for  Hindus  and  Mohammedans  alike, 
where  the  basis  of  a  secular  and  religious 
education  is  laid  at  the  same  time. 

This  school  work  is  of  paramount  importance, 
and  as  the  most  diligent  care  is  given  that  the 
secular  side  does  not  overshadow  the  religious, 
the  Christian  schools  are  the  seed  beds  of  the 
native  church.  Here  are  received,  from  child- 
hood to  maturity,  the  vitalizing  germs  of 
Christian  truth ;  and  forth  from  these  almost 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORK  FOR  WOMEN  205 


innumerable  schools  are  going  by  hundreds  the 
Christian  young  men  and  women  who  are  the 
hope  of  India.  The  effectual  principle  of 
the  Roman  Church  to  secure  the  training  of 
children  in  their  earliest  years,  thus  stamping 
its  influence  upon  them  in  the  most  impres- 
sible period,  has  been  wisely  adopted  by  Protes- 
tant missionaries.  Great  stress  is  now  laid 
upon  Christian  primary  schools  and  kinder- 
gartens, and  with  notable  results. 

Excellent  high  schools  for  girls  under  mis- 
sionary management  are  scattered  throughout 
the  country,  some  of  which  may  speedily  de- 
velop into  full-course  colleges.  Others  of 
marked  usefulness,  as  the  English  Baptist 
school  in  Delhi,  oblige  the  girls  to  learn  the 
use  of  grain  fans  and  millstones,  or  spinning, 
weaving,  laundry  work,  needlework,  embroid- 
ery, and  many  other  useful  crafts. 

In  1896  there  were  in  the  Madras  presidency 
over  1000  schools,  attended  by  about  110,000 
girls.  Similar  figures  can  be  given  for  other 
parts  of  India.  A  transformation  is  being  ac- 
complished Avhich  centuries  of  merely  human 
wisdom  could  not  have  wrought.  The  time 
will  soon  have  wlioUy  gone  by  when  a  girl 
to  be  respectable  must  be  married  at  ten  or 
twelve. 

And  yet  there  is  even  now  in  India  but 
one  woman  missionary  for  every  160,000  of 
the  native  women. 


206 


LUX  CHEISTI 


Women's  Colleges 

There  are  two  Christian  colleges  for  women, 
the  earliest  founded  being  Lucknow  College 
in  North  India,  an  institution  of  the  American 
Methodist  Mission ;  and  the  Sarah  Tucker 
College  in  Palamcotta,  South  India,  under  the 
C.  M.  S.  The  former  receives  all  pupils  sent, 
without  regard  to  race  or  language,  and  has 
combined  in  one  happy  family,  Hindustani, 
Bengali,  English,  and  Eurasian  girls,  all  trained 
to  work  for  Christ.  This  school  is  aflfiliated 
with  Allahabad  University,  and  Palamcotta 
College  with  the  Madras  University. 

The  fact  that  the  government  colleges  are 
open  to  women  has  been  mentioned.  A  large 
majority  of  the  young  women  who  have  entered 
these  universities  are  Christians.  The  first 
candidate  was  Miss  Chandra  Mukhi  Bose,  who 
was  prepared  in  the  American  Presbyterian 
Mission  at  Dehra  Dun,  and  passed  her  entrance 
examination  in  1876.  She  won  her  degree  and 
is  dean  of  the  Bethune  Girls'  College  (govern- 
ment) at  Calcutta.  In  this  institution  all  the 
pupils,  as  it  happens,  are  Hindu,  none  Moham- 
medan. The  Mohammedan  youth  of  both  sexes 
are  persistently  slow  in  responding  to  intel- 
lectual appeal. 

Since  the  universities  were  opened  to  women, 
from  1870  to  1809,  1306  Avomen  have  passed 
the   entrance  examination.     Of   these  about 


A  CENTURY  OF  WOBK  FOB   WOMEN  207 


367  are  native  Christians ;  27  Hindus,  1 
.Mohammedan,  728  European  or  Eurasian ; 
the  rest  are  divided  between  other  nation- 
alities. 

One  of  the  most  impressive  addresses  of  the 
Ecumenical  Conference  of  1900  was  that  of  Miss 
Lilavati  Singh,  B.A.,  a  young  Hindu  lady, 
professor  of  English  literature  at  Lucknow  Col- 
lege. So  intense  was  Miss  Singh's  eagerness  to 
acquire  English,  that  while  in  school  she  read 
Green's  History  of  England  through  seven  times. 
After  hearing  lier  address  on  the  "  Results  of 
Higher  Education,"  the  late  ex-President  Har- 
rison remarked,  "  If  I  had  given  a  million  dol- 
lars to  foreign  missions,  I  should  count  it  wisely 
invested  if  it  led  only  to  the  conversion  of  that 
one  woman." 

Efforts  of  Native  Christian  Women 

The  conspicuous  educational  and  philanthropic 
labors  of  the  Parsi  family,  Mrs.  Sorabji  and  her 
daughters,  and  of  the  whole  world's  heroine,  the 
Pundita  Ramabai,  must  be  briefly  mentioned. 
There  is  no  connection  between  the  two  move- 
ments, although  all  their  schools  are  in  Poona, 
and  the  workers  are  in  warm  sympathy  with 
each  other. 

Twenty-five  years  ago  Mrs.  Sorabji,  the  wife 
of  one  of  the  first  converts  to  Christianity  from 
among  tlie  Parsis,  founded  in  that  Strongliold 
of  lirahmanisni,"  Poona,  a  Iiundred  miles  south- 


208 


LUX  CHRISTI 


east  of  Bombay,  several  vernacular  and  Anglo- 
vernacular  schools  for  the  children  of  English, 
Parsis,  Mohammedans,  and  Hindus.  Mrs. 
Sorabji  has  also  established,  with  the  aid  of  her 
daughters  (one  of  whom  is  the  lirst  native 
woman  of  India  to  take  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Civil  Laws),  the  Victoria  High  Scliool,  which 
has  received  the  most  cordial  commendation  of 
the  Duke  of  Connaught,  the  Bishop  of  Bombay, 
and  others  in  high  station.  These  schools 
furnish  not  only  admirable  mental  training, 
according  to  the  best  European  methods,  but 
the  Bible  is  diligently  taught,  and  the  teaching 
throughout  is  vitalized  by  a  spirit  of  devout 
Christian  love. 

The  reports  of  these  schools  are  full  of 
suggestions  of  peculiar  interest,  and  cast  much 
light  on  the  relative  ability  and  varying  charac- 
teristics of  Mohammedan,  Hindu,  and  Parsi 
children. 

Other  efforts  of  native  women  for  their 
sisters,  such  as  that  of  Miss  Chakarbulty  of 
Allahabad,  and  of  the  "  Daughters  of  India,"  if 
less  striking  than  those  of  the  gifted  Sorabji 
family,  are  full  of  profound  interest  and 
brightest  promise  for  the  future. 

Pundita  Ramahai 

Probably  no  one  will  dispute  the  assertion 
that  Ramabai  is  the  most  distinguished  woman 
in  India  to-day,  whether  foreign  or  native. 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORK  FOR  WOMEN  209 


Born  in  1858,  in  Gungamal,  in  the  western 
Ghats  of  India,  of  Brahman  parents,  Ramabai 
was  carefully  educated  by  her  father,  a  man  of 
remarkably  advanced  views,  learning  not  only 
many  dialects,  but  gaining  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  Sanskrit.  Her  intellectual  attainment  was 
^uch  that  in  1877  the  highest  title  possible  for  a 
native  woman  was  conferred  upon  her  by  the 
pundits  of  Calcutta,  "  Sarasvati,  Goddess  of 
Wisdom."  Coming  into  contact  with  the 
famous  Hindu  reformer,  Keshub  Chunder  Sen, 
Kamabai's  faith  in  idolatry  was  shaken,  and  a 
dim  consciousness  of  her  relation  to  God  dawned 
upon  her.  After  her  husband's  death,  being 
deeply  moved  for  the  cruel  sufferings  of  child- 
wives  and  child-widows,  Ramabai  consecrated 
herself  to  work  for  their  emancipation  from 
their  awful  bondage. 

Going  to  England  in  1888  to  seek  such  train- 
ing as  she  felt  necessary  for  the  successful 
prosecution  of  this  work,  the  Pundita  was  soon 
brought  into  the  clear  light  of  Christian  faith. 
Her  first  visit  to  America,  where  she  travelled 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land,  telling  the 
impassioned  story  of  lier  sisters'  wrongs,  led  to 
the  formation,  May  28,  1887,  of  the  Ramabai 
Association,  pledged  to  support  for  ten  years 
a  school  for  high-caste  Hindu  widows.  That 
night  she  was  found  sobbing  in  her  room  and 
exclaimed,  "  I  am  crying  for  joy  that  my  dream 
of  years  has  become  a  reality." 


210 


LUX  CHRISTI 


In  1889  her  school  in  Bombay,  soon  removed 
to  Poona,  was  opened  with  two  pupils.  It  was 
named  Sharada  Sadan  (Home  of  Wisdom)  and  is 
secular.  In  1897  Ramabai  visited  the  famine 
district  and  rescued  300  high-caste  girls  from 
sin  and  death.  The  school  she  opened  for 
them  is  known  as  "  Mukti "  (Salvation)  and  is 
frankly  Christian,  as  is  a  third  scliool  called 
Kripa  Sadan  (Home  of  Grace).  In  all  three 
Ramabai  now  cares  for  2000  of  these  suffering 
child-widows. 

There  are  27,000,000  widows  in  India  to- 
day ;  281,000  of  them  are  under  fifteen  years 
of  age ;  14,000  are  less  than  four.  Of  their 
grievous  lot  we  have  read  in  an  earlier  chapter. 
"  Ask  Christian  women,"  said  Ramabai,  four- 
teen years  ago,  "to  help  me  educate  these  child- 
widows,  for  I  solemnly  believe  that  this  hated 
and  despised  class  of  women,  educated  and  en- 
lightened, are  by  God's  grace  to  redeem  India." 

'■'■Seeing  Ramahais  great  love''  said  one  un- 
der her  charge,  in  explaining  liow  she  had  been 
led  to  Christ.  This  impassioned,  motherlike, 
Christlike  love  is  tlie  secret  of  Ramabai's  mar- 
vellous success. 

"  1  was  overwhelmed,"  said  Dr.  Klopsch,  after 
a  visit  to  the  schools  at  Poona,  "  by  the  magni- 
tude and  quality  of  the  work  carried  on  with 
a  success  tliat  is  almost  incredible.  Pundita 
Ramabai  is  surely  one  of  God's  chosen  ones, 
divinely  called  to  her  mission." 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORE  FOR   WOMEN  211 


It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  mighty 
systems  of  paganism  in  India,  whether  Hindu, 
Buddhistic,  or  Mohammedan,  are  alike  desti- 
tute of  all  those  fruits  of  Christianity  which 
we  term  charitable,  philanthropic,  benevolent. 
Where  are  the  hospitals,  dispensaries,  orphan- 
ages, asylums  for  the  lej)er,  the  blind,  the 
deaf  and  mute  ?  They  have  no  place  in  the 
heathen  economy.  For  this  reason  there  is  a 
peculiar  significance  in  such  a  movement  as 
that  of  Ramabai,  suggesting  the  mighty  power 
for  its  own  healing  and  renovation  which 
resides  in  native  India,  when  once  it  becomes 
energized  by  the  master-motive  of  Christian 
love. 

(3)  Medical. 

The  first  qualified  woman  physician  who  ever 
entered  Asia  to  practise  her  profession  was  Miss 
Clara  Swain,  of  Castile,  N.  Y.,  who  was  sent 
out  in  1869  by  the  American  Methodist  Woman's 
Foreign  Missionary  Society.  Miss  Swain  set- 
tled at  Bareilly,  and  began  her  work  without 
delay  with  characteristic  energy,  treating  in 
the  first  six  weeks  after  her  arrival  108  pa- 
tients, wliile  during  the  first  year  1225  patients 
were  prescribed  for  at  the  mission  house,  and 
in  1874  the  number  reached  3000.  Early  in 
her  residence  in  Bareilly  a  native  gentleman, 
who  called  her  to  attend  his  wife,  welcomed  her 
with  these  words  :  "  We  need  lady  physicians 
in  India  very  mucli,  and  I  have  often  spoken  of 


212 


LUX  CHRISTI 


it  to  my  friends ;  but  we  did  not  know  where 
to  look  for  them,  as  our  women  are  uneducated, 
and  could  not  study  medicine.  But  light  has 
again  dawned  upon  us  from  America." 

In  less  than  three  months  after  her  arrival 
Miss  Swain  formed  a  class  of  sixteen  native 
educated  girls  in  the  study  of  medicine.  Three 
years  later  thirteen  members  passed  their  final 
examination  in  the  presence  of  two  civil  sur- 
geons, and  were  granted  certificates  of  practice 
in  all  ordinary  diseases. 

Dr.  Swain  carried  the  gospel  with  her  in  all 
her  work,  the  Bible  being  read  and  religious 
instruction  habitually  given  in  her  zenana 
visits,  and  thus  entrance  was  gained  to  man v 
homes  hitherto  closed  against  missionary  effoi : 
The  comment  of  a  Hindu  woman  to  another 
lady  physician  embodies  the  point  of  view  of 
many  :  "  Your  God  must  be  a  very  kind,  good 
God  to  send  a  doctor  to  the  women.  None  of 
our  gods  ever  sent  us  a  doctor." 

In  brief  time  Dr.  Swain  felt  the  need  of  an 
adequate  dispensary  and  a  hospital  for  women. 
The  Nawab  of  Rampore  freely  gave  an  estate 
in  Bareilly  valued  at  fifteen  thousand  dollars 
for  the  purpose.  Both  buildings  were  erected 
in  1872  and  1873,  at  a  cost  of  over  ten  thou- 
sand dollars,  which  was  borne  by  the  Meth- 
odist Woman's  Society  at  home.  The  plan  of 
the  hospital  is  similar  to  that  of  an  eastern 
hotel.    On  a  slight  elevation  stand  the  build- 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORK  FOR  W03IEN  213 


ings,  with  two  rows  of  dormitories,  verandas 
extending  the  whole  length  of  each.  The 
grounds  are  tastefully  laid  out,  and  made  beau- 
tiful with  tropical  shrubbery.  The  dispensary 
is  opened  at  six  o'clock  every  morning  ex- 
cept Sunday.  Dispensary  cards  are  printed  in 
three  different  characters, —  Hindi,  Parsi,  and 
Urdu.  Each  card  has  a  verse  of  Scripture 
printed  on  the  back.  It  may  happen  that  a 
score  of  different  castes  and  half  a  dozen  re- 
ligions will  be  represented  in  the  consulting 
room  in  a  few  montlis.  Bible  women  work 
among  the  patients  while  they  wait  their 
turn. 

We  have  briefly  recapitulated  the  essential 
features  of  the  activity  of  the  first  American 
lady  physician  and  described  the  first  woman's 
hospital  in  India,  because  they  are  typical  and 
include  the  main  features  of  all  the  medical 
missionary  work  now  conducted  by  nearly 
ever}^  Woman's  Board  which  lias  followed.  In 
all  we  find  the  welcome  to  the  "  Doctor  Miss 
Sahib,"  on  the  part  of  natives,  high  or  low; 
the  well-equipped  dispensary  and  hospital  ; 
the  practice  in  these  and  in  the  home,  with  the 
strong  admixture  of  religious  teaching  ;  the 
open  door  to  the  zenana,  which  is  firml}'  closed 
to  the  male  missionaries,  whether  evangelist  or 
physician  ;  the  training  of  native  women  in 
nursing,  hygiene,  and  the  practice  of  medicine. 
To  these  may  be  added,  as  tlie  terrible  exigen- 


214  LUX  CHEISTI 

cies  of  the  late  years  of  plague  and  famine  have 
called  for  them,  relief  and  diet  kitchens,  and 
sanitary  committee  inspection,  most  important 
in  Indian  villages,  where  wells  and  ponds  are 
used  alike  for  bathing,  washing  of  clothing,  and 
drinking,  and  where  utter  neglect  of  the  com- 
mon laws  of  cleanliness  breeds  disease  on  ever)'' 
hand.  The  barbarous  native  practice  of  mid- 
wifery, the  inconceivable  suffering  of  the  native 
women  through  the  violation  of  all  the  laws  of 
their  phj^sical  life,  and  the  iron  bonds  of  super- 
stition laid  on  all  alike,  increase  the  need  of 
enlightened  medical  practice,  while  they  add  a 
hundred-fold  to  the  obstacles  in  its  way. 

From  an  article  by  Dr.  Joyce,  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  we  quote  :  — 

"Childbirth  brings  pollution  for  a  certain 
term  of  days  to  an  Indian  woman.  Instead 
of  the  love  and  gentle  tendance  and  skilful 
nursing  that  are  given  among  us  to  a  woman 
in  her  hour  of  need,  the  Indian  mother  is  re- 
garded for  the  time  being  as  unclean  and  un- 
approachable by  the  members  of  her  family. 
No  one  except  a  servant  or  native  midwife  is 
allowed  to  attend  her.  A  matted-in  portion 
of  the  veranda,  a  lumber-room,  a  cowshed,  or 
a  coalshed  are  too  often  regarded  as  more  than 
suthcient  and  suitable  shelter  for  the  young 
mother;  Everything  she  touclies  is  rendered 
unclean,  so  the  scantiest  allowance  of  necessa- 
ries is  given  to  her.    Often  in  a  state  of  ap- 


A  CENTURY  OF  WOIiK  FOB  WOMEN  215 


palling  insauitation,  without  proper  attendance, 
denied  the  entrance  of  air  and  light,  unwashed, 
neglected,  ill  fed  and  sometimes  unfed,  the 
young  mothers,  often  themselves  mere  chil- 
dren in  age,  pass  through  their  time  of  trial. 
Many  succumb,  some  emerge,  apparently  un- 
hurt, too  many  endure  for  differing  periods  of 
years,  sometimes  for  life,  suffering  engendered 
by  want  of  care  and  love  and  skill  that  should 
have  been  lavished  so  freely." 

A  phase  of  v/ork  common  among  our  medical 
missionaries  is  itinerary  practice  ;  the  journey- 
ing from  village  to  village  with  well-filled  medi- 
cine cases,  clinics  morning,  noon,  and  night,  and 
the  gospel  given  all  the  time.  Dr.  Pauline  Root 
recounts  one  of  her  tours,  when  she  often  treated 
eighty  patients  before  breakfast  and  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  in  a  day,  as  a  whole  village  would 
stream  out  to  her  little  tent,  bearing  their  sick 
folk  to  lay  before  her,  while  she  herself  had  not 
time  so  much  as  to  eat. 

Truly  it  is  a  programme  of  power  immeasur- 
able and  of  toil  unspeakable  but  full  of  glory. 
It  is  a  Christlike  thing.  Perhaps  if  Protestants 
canonized  their  noblest  souls,  we  should  have 
for  a  saint  Mary  Reed,  the  American  Methodist 
missionary  in  Cawnpore,  who,  in  1890,  dis- 
covered that  she  was  herself  a  leper,  and  there- 
upon deciding  to  give  what  might  be  left  of 
life  to  work  among  lepers,  withdrew  into  the 
foothills  of  the  Iliniahiyas  to  a  colony  of  these 


216 


LUX  CHRISTI 


smitten  outcasts,  where  to-day  she  is  living  in 
cheerful,  self-effacing  ministration. 

A  Typical  Medical  Missionary 

We  give  below  a  description  written  very 
recently  of  a  Woman's  Board  medical  mis- 
sionary now  in  West  India,  a  graduate  of 
Wellesley  College  in  1886,  not  because  we 
believe  it  to  be  exceptional  but  typical,  not 
ideal  but  real :  — 

"  We  Avho  live  with  her  cannot  adequately 
express  our  reverence  and  gratitude  for  her  — 
she  is  so  sympathetic,  so  self-denying,  so  skilful, 
so  Christian.  Many  are  the  lives  which  she 
has  saved.  I  should  like  to  have  people  in 
America  see,  as  I  have  done,  tliis  cultured 
college  lady  down  on  her  knees  on  a  dirty, 
earthen  floor,  in  a  room  full  of  smoke  and 
discomfort,  putting  her  arms  around  a  dirty 
man  with  blood  flowing  from  his  mouth  and 
nose,  lifting  him  into  a  more  comfortable  posi- 
tion, and  applying  ice  and  water  to  the  head 
and  neck  to  stop  the  flow.  Not  long  ago  she 
spent  seven  nights  out  of  eight  in  a  native 
house  caring  for  a  woman  wlio  had  been  given 
up  for  dead,  and  for  whose  funeral  people  had 
begun  to  make  preparations,  and  she  succeeded 
in  bringing  lier  back  to  health.  Tliat  woman 
is  now  a  healthy  woman  in  an  important  home. 

"  If  one  ever  visits  her  dispensary,  it  is  amaz- 
ing to  see  the  crowd  that  is  waiting  for  Ikt 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORE  FOR  n'OMEN  217 


ministration.  Good-caste  women,  low-caste 
women,  educated  women,  ignorant  women,  all 
kinds  of  children,  and  outside  even  many  men 
hoping  that  after  the  women  and  children  have 
gone  they  may  get  some  attention." 

Of  another  the  following  incident  is  told : 
''One  day,  while  the  name  of  the  patient  was 
Ijeing  written  down  in  the  register,  a  hand  was 
stretched  out  and  put  lovingly  on  the  writer's, 
and  a  voice  said  gently,  '■Mem  Sahib,  you  are 
like  the  Lord  Jesus.'  The  question  was  put, 
'  Why  do  you  say  so  ? '  Pointing  to  the 
curtain  which  divides  the  veranda  from  the 
dispensary,  she  rej^lied,  '  Out  there  have  I 
not  heard  that  Jesus  healed  the  sick,  went 
about  preaching  in  the  villages,  and  said  kind 
words  to  women  ?  '  There  was  no  denying  the 
fact.  '  Well,  you  do  all  that,  so  you  are  like 
Him.'  " 

The  increase  in  woman's  medical  missionary 
work  can  be  noted  by  the  report  of  the  dis- 
pensary practice  of  Dr.  Julia  Bissell  at  Ah- 
mednagar  for  1901,  which  extended  to  31,160 
patients. 

It  is  impossible  here  to  recount  the  steps 
by  which  the  movement  has  grown,  but  at  the 
present  time  each  auxiliary,  whether  English, 
Scotch,  Canadian,  or  American,  has  its  medical 
arm,  its  own  hospitals,  and  its  own  staff  of 
women  practitioners.  Never  was  a  more  in- 
spiring field  of  labor  open  to  Christian  young 


218 


LUX  CHRISTI 


women  phj'sicians  than  India  offers  to-da3^ 
Let  it  be  remembered  that  male  physicians  are 
wholly  debarred  from  attendance  on  the  high- 
caste  women,  who  would  rather  die  than  be 
seen  and  cared  for  by  them. 

And  for  all  the  millions  of  suffering  women 
in  India  there  are  but  eighty -five  women  medi- 
cal missionaries  now  at  work  in  the  field.  Of 
these  forty-six  are  English.  Although  medical 
missions  were  begun  in  India  by  American, 
they  have  been  taken  up  with  more  enthusiasm 
by  English  societies,  who,  in  1880,  sent  out  the 
first  medical  missionary  of  the  C.  E.  Z.  M.  S., 
Dr.  Fanny  Butler,  whose  life  and  work  for  nine 
years  in  North  India  and  Kashmir  have  made 
her  name  one  which  can  never  be  forgotten. 

The  Countess  of  Dufferin  Fund 

For  many  years  missionaries  carried  on  the 
medical  work  for  women  in  India  alone ;  but  in 
1885  an  incident  occurred  which  has  resulted 
in  a  great  secular  movement  in  England  in  this 
direction  under  royal  patronage.  We  will 
leave  the  romantic  storj''  of  the  Englisli  mis- 
sionary, Miss  Bielby,  lier  patient,  the  Maharani 
of  Poona,  and  her  looket  with  its  heart-rending 
message  to  the  Queen  of  England,  for  a  special 
theme  of  study.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  mes- 
sage went  straight  to  the  Queen's  compassionate 
heart,  and  in  consequence  Lady  Dufferin,  Avife 
of  the  viceroy -elect,  who  was  just  sailing  for 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORK  FOR   WOMEN  219 

India,  was  commissioned  by  her  Majesty  to  do 
all  within  her  power  to  relieve  the  suffering 
women  of  India.  Wise  and  prompt  in  her 
measures,  Lady  Dufferin  soon  established  an 
organization  known  as  the  National  Associa- 
tion for  supplying  Female  Medical  Aid  to  the 
Women  of  India,  its  stated  objects  being : 
medical  tuition,  medical  relief,  and  the  supply 
i)f  trained  midwives  and  nurses  for  women  and 
cliildren.  A  million  or  more  women  are  treated 
annually,  directly  or  indirectly,  by  means  of 
this  powerful  agency. 

Mrs.  Claxton,  who  has  been  president  of  the 
Woman's  Baptist  Foreign  Missionary  Society 
of  eastern  Ontario  since  its  inception,  is  in 
receipt  of  a  personal  letter  from  Lady  Dufferin, 
written  during  her  residence  in  India,  explicitly 
defining  the  aims  and  scope  of  this  organization. 

"  The  particular  need  for  medical  help  for 
women  in  this  country,"  writes  Lady  Dufferin, 
"  is,  from  the  very  nature  of  the  subject,  one 
upon  which  it  is  difficult  to  write.  There  can 
be  no  doubt  that  mari-ying  extremely  young, 
that  living  a  life  of  extreme  seclusion,  that 
being  often  victims  of  superstitious  practices 
and  of  grossly  ignorant  treatment,  the  women 
of  India  must  suffer  more  tlian  the  women  of 
other  countries.  .  .  .  And  yet  those  who  are 
the  most  secluded  and  are  compelled  to  lead  the 
most  unhealthful  lives,  are  al)st)lutely  debarred 
from  any  medical  relief  unless  it  can  be  brought 


220 


LUX  cnuisTi 


them  by  women.  ...  There  is  one  point  on 
which,  however,  I  would  like  to  make  the  matter 
clear  to  you.  Personally,  I  sympathize  warmly 
with  medical  missions  and  medical  missionaries  ; 
but  the  money  subscribed  to  the  national  asso- 
ciation of  which  I  am  the  trustee  is  entirely  de- 
voted to  secular  medical  work,  and  it  has  been 
subscribed  on  the  understanding  that  the  work 
of  the  association  should  be  strictly  unsectarian. 
There  is  in  this  great  country  room  and  to 
spare  for  both  missionary  and  non-missionary 
organizations." 

American  women  will  be  interested  to  know 
that  Lady  Curzon,  who,  by  virtue  of  her  office 
as  vicereine  of  India,  has  now  become  president 
of  the  Lady  Dufferin  Fund,  enters  with  energy 
and  sympathy  upon  this  work.  While  all  must 
welcome  the  humane  labors  of  the  association, 
it  remains  to  be  said  that  the  fact  that  those  wlio 
accept  its  scholarships  and  work  in  its  hospitals 
and  dispensaries  are  not  allowed  to  speak  of  Christ 
in  their  professional  work,  remains  a  serious 
drawback  to  its  power  for  good. 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORK  FOR  WOMEN  221 


ILLUSTRATIVE  SELECTIONS 

The  Song  of  the  Women 

(Written  for  the  Lady  Dufferin  Fund  for  Medical  Aid  to  the 
Women  of  India) 

How  shall  she  know  the  worship  we  would  do  her ! 

The  walls  are  high,  and  she  is  very  far. 
How  shall  the  women's  message  reach  unto  her 

Above  the  tumult  of  the  packed  bazaar  ? 
Free  wind  of  March  against  the  lattice  blowing, 
Bear  thou  our  thanks,  lest  she  depart  unknowing. 

Go  forth  across  the  fields  we  may  not  roam  in ; 

Go  forth  beyond  the  trees  that  rim  the  city, 
To  whatsoe'er  fair  place  she  hath  her  home  in. 

Who  dowered  us  with  wealth  of  love  and  pity ; 
Out  of  our  shadow  pass  and  seek  her,  singing, 
"  I  have  no  gifts  but  love  alone  for  bringing." 

Say  that  we  be  a  feeble  folk  who  greet  her. 
But  old  in  grief,  and  very  wise  in  tears ; 

Say  that  we,  being  desolate,  entreat  her 
That  she  forget  us  not  in  after  years; 

For  we  have  seen  the  light,  and  it  were  grievous 

To  dim  that  dawning  if  our  lady  leave  us. 

By  life  that  ebbed  with  none  to  stanch  the  failing, 
By  love's  sad  harvest  garnered  in  the  spring. 

When  love  in  ignorance  wept  unavailing 

O'er  young  buds  dead  before  their  blossoming ; 

By  all  the  gray  owl  watched,  the  pale  moon  viewed, 

In  past  grim  years,  declare  our  gratitude  ! 

By  hands  uplifted  to  the  gods  that  hear  not, 
By  gifts  that  found  no  favor  in  their  sight. 

By  faces  bent  above  the  babe  that  stirred  not, 
By  nameless  horrors  of  the  stifling  night, 

By  ills  foredonc,  by  peace,  her  toils  discover. 

Bid  earth  be  good  beneath  and  heaven  above  her. 


222 


LUX  CHRISTI 


Go  forth,  O  wind,  our  message  on  thy  wings. 

And  they  shall  hear  thee  pass  and  bid  thee  speed,  — 

In  reed-roofed  hut,  or  white-walled  home  of  kings,  — 
Who  have  been  helpen  by  her  in  their  need, 

All  spring  shall  give  thee  fragrance,  and  the  wheat 

Shall  be  a  tasselled  floor  cloth  to  thy  feet. 

Haste,  for  our  hearts  are  with  thee ;  take  no  rest, 
Loud-voiced  ambassador,  from  sea  to  sea. 

Proclaim  the  blessing,  manifold,  confest, 
Of  those  in  darkness,  by  her  hand  set  free ; 

Then  very  softly  to  her  presence  move. 

And  whisper,  "  Lady,  lo,  they  know  and  love  t  " 

—  RuDYARD  Kipling. 


Prayer  of  a  Child-Widow 

O  Father  of  the  world,  hast  Thou  not  created  us  ?  Or 
has,  perchance,  some  other  god  made  us?  Dost  Thou 
care  only  for  men  ?  Hast  Thou  no  thought  for  us 
women?  Why  hast  Thou  created  us  male  and  female? 
O  Almighty,  hast  Thou  not  power  to  make  us  other  than 
we  are,  that  we,  too,  might  have  some  share  in  the  com- 
forts of  this  life?  O  God,  Almighty  and  Unapproach- 
able, think  upon  Thy  mercy,  which  is  a  vast  sea,  and 
remember  us.  O  Loi-d,  save  us,  for  we  cannot  bear  our 
hard  lot ;  many  of  us  have  killed  ourselves,  and  we  are 
still  killing  ourselves.  O  God  of  mercy,  our  prayer  to 
Thee  is  this,  that  the  curse  may  be  removed  from  the 
women  of  India. 

Ann  Hasseltine  Judson 

She  who,  at  Ava  and  at  Oung-pen-la, 

Won  brutal  men  to  softness  by  her  grace. 
Illumined  prison  glooms  with  her  sweet  face. 

And  on  despair  shone  like  a  morning  star, 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORK  FOB  WOMEN  223 


Her  self,  her  story,  and  her  sufferings  won 

Homage  from  men,  as  if  she  came  from  heaven. 
In  whose  stout  hearts  she  left  a  little  leaven. 

Whose  sacred  working  may  outlive  the  sun. 

—  W.  C.  Richards. 

Hinduism  from  Within 
I  beg  of  my  western  sisters  not  to  be  satisfied  with 
looking  on  the  outside  beauty  of  the  grand  philosophies, 
and  not  to  be  charmed  with  hearing  the  long  and  inter- 
esting discourses  of  our  educated  men,  but  to  open  the 
trap-doors  of  the  great  nioniiments  of  ancit^nt  Hindu 
intellect,  and  enter  into  the  dark  cellars,  where  they  will 
see  the  real  workings  of  the  philosophies  which  they  ad- 
mire so  much.  Let  our  western  friends  come  to  India 
and  live  right  among  us.  Let  them  frequently  go  to 
the  hundreds  of  sacred  places  where  countless  pilgrims 
throng  yearly.  Let  them  go  round  the  strongholds  of 
Hinduism  and  seats  of  sacred  learning,  where  the  Ma- 
hatmas  and  Sadhus  dwell,  and  where  the  "sublime" 
philosophies  are  daily  taught  and  followed.  There  they 
will  find  that  the  men  who  boast  superior  Hindu  spiritu- 
ality oppress  widows  and  trample  the  poor  under  their 
heels.  They  have  deprived  the  widows  ot  their  birth- 
right to  enjo}-  pure  life  and  lawful  happiness.  They 
send  out  hundreds  of  emissaries  to  look  for  young  widows, 
and  bring  them  by  thousands  to  the  sacred  cities  to  rob 
them  of  their  money  and  their  virtue.  Tlie  so-called 
sacred  places  —  those  veritable  hells  on  earth  —  have  be- 
come the  graveyards  of  countless  widows  and  orplians, 
but  not  a  philosopher  or  Mahatma  has  come  out  boldly 
to  champion  their  cause.  —  Plndita  Hamabai. 

Pi.KA  OF  A  Native  Hindu  Lady 
If  you  Englisliand  American  ladies  accomplish  nothing 
else  in  India,  In;  sun-  and  do  all  you  can  to  break  up  the 
custom  of  early  marriage. 


224 


LUX  CHRISTI 


The  Facies  of  Life 

One  interesting  fact  regarding  our  hospital  patients 
may  be  taken  as  absolutely  true :  the  change  in  face 
undergone  by  those  who  are  learning  about  Christ.  I 
have  seen  this  over  and  over  again,  and,  on  asking  others, 
they  have  told  me  the  same  thing.  Their  faces  seem 
positively  plastic  under  the  moulding  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
The  dull,  unintelligent  look  that  so  many  of  the  quite 
ignorant  wear  on  first  coming  into  the  wards  changes  in 
as  short  a  period  as  two  or  three  weeks  into  a  far  more 
intelligent  and  brighter  "facies,"  to  use  a  medical  terra. 
We  doctors  speak  of  the  facies  HIppocratici  and  the  facies 
of  this  or  that  disease,  but,  thank  God !  this  is  a  facies  of 
life,  everlasting  life,  and  not  of  death  or  disease. 

—  From  the  Church  Missionary  Inielligencer,  1901. 


Scenes  among  Missionaries  —  A  Traveller's  Views 

OF   THEM  AND  WHAT  THEY  ARE  DOING 

"  Travellers  in  India,"  remarked  my  friend,  with  his 
cheery  smile,  "  report  us  missionaries  as  living  in  luxury, 
waited  on  by  troops  of  servants,  demoralizing  native  sim- 
plicity by  an  impracticable  moraUty,  and  that  the  upshot 
of  oui'  work  is  to  make  them  hypocritically  profess  a  f aithi 
they  don't  believe  in  in  order  to  curry  favor,  and  to  r\iin 
them  with  the  vices  of  civilization  instead  of  saving  them 
with  its  virtues.  Well,  now  you  have  a  chance  to  see 
how  it  is  for  yourself." 

The  household  consisted  of  the  missionary  and  his 
wife  and  a  young  lady  who  was  assisting  them ;  three  or 
four  immaculate  Mohammedan  servants,  at  wages  of  from 
one  to  two  dollars  a  month  ;  a  horse  and  buggy ;  a  chapel 
and  witliin  the  walls  of  tiie  compound  some  ranges  of 
neat  buildings  for  the  accommodation  of  tlie  native  chil- 
dren who  were  supported  and  instructed  by  the  mission. 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORK  FOR  WOMEN  225 


The  family  sat  down  thrice  a  day  to  a  wholesome  but 
Spartan  meal.  The  husband  worked  with  all  his  might 
from  dawn  to  dark,  aud  after  dark  in  his  study,  helping 
distress,  averting  evil,  enlightening  ignorance,  and  pray- 
ing with  heart  and  soul  to  the  God  and  Christ,  who  was 
more  real  to  liim  than  any  earthly  thing.  His  lovely, 
artless,  human,  holy  wife,  with  faith  like  a  little  child's, 
and  innocent  as  a  child,  yet  wise  and  steadfast  in  all  that 
touched  her  work,  labored  as  untiringly  and  selflessly  as 
her  husband.  There  were  perhaps  a  hundred  native 
children,  either  orphaned  or  deserted,  who  had  begun 
to  get  fiesh  on  their  bones  and  were  busy  and  happy  in 
learning  to  read  and  write  their  native  language,  and  in 
singing  hymns  of  jaraise  to  the  new  living  God  who  loves 
(■liildren,  and  in  listening  to  stories  of  this  same  God's 
loving  dealings  with  His  children.  They  also  learned 
for  the  first  time  in  their  lives  what  it  was  to  be  clean, 
if)  be  regularly  and  abundantly  fed,  and  to  be  treated 
with  intelligent  and  unselfish  aifection.  These  children 
would  have  died  of  the  famine  had  not  the  mission  found 
and  saved  them.  But  though  the  surroundings  and  in- 
fluences were  of  the  loveliest  Christian  kind,  there  was 
no  trace  of  that  fanatical  hunger  for  nominal  converts  — 
lliat  blind  eagerness  to  fasten  the  badge  of  the  cross  on 
(he  sleeve,  whether  or  not  it  were  in  the  heart  —  which 
has  often  been  ascribed  to  missionary  work.  From  first 
to  last,  during  my  sojourn  in  India,  I  saw  many  native 
Christians.  Those  that  I  saw  are  a  remarkable  and  im- 
pressive body  of  men  and  women.  I  was  always  saying 
to  myself,  "They  are  like  the  people  of  the  Bible."  Some 
wore  European  dress,  others  did  not.  Their  easpect  was 
gnntle,  sincere,  and  modest.  Cleanliness  is  one  of  the 
distinguishing  marks  of  the  homes  of  native  Christians 
in  India. 

One  morning  we  went  to  an  outlying  village  to  visit 
a  native  preacher,  spending  an  hour  at  his  house.  The 
women  of  his  family  were  modestly  silent,  unless  they 
Q 


226 


LUX  CHBISTI 


■were  questioned  directly.  They  were  very  gentle  and 
happy-looking  -women  ;  the  expression  in  their  faces  was 
quite  different  from  that  of  the  pagan  women.  Their 
eyes  met  my  eyes  with  a  soft,  trustful,  guileless  look.  I 
felt  respect  and  tenderness  for  them.  A  little  apart 
squatted  an  old  woman,  one  of  the  skeletons.  But  for 
the  mission  support  she  must  have  died.  Slie  had  suf- 
fered the  extreme  of  misery  ;  there  was  nothing  left  in 
the  world  of  whatever  had  been  hers ;  but  she  seemed  to 
feel  the  assurance  that,  living  or  dead,  she  would  hence- 
forth be  taken  care  of,  and  not  robbed  and  outraged  any 
more.  So  long  as  she  lived  she  could  come  here  twice  a 
day  and  be  fed  and  gently  treated.  She  did  not  know 
what  Christianity  was,  but  she  knew  that  its  effects  on 
her  were  good. 

Behind  the  others,  in  a  drooping  posture,  with  her 
grievous  young  face  bent  down,  sat  a  widow  with  her 
child.  To  the  people  of  her  own  race  and  creed  she  was 
an  accursed  thing,  to  be  used  like  a  dog.  She  had  sur- 
vived her  husband,  and  now  any  man  who  deigned  to 
touch  her  uncleanly  worthlessness  might  dispose  of  her 
at  his  pleasure ;  she  had  no  rights.  Her  very  child, 
should  it  live  long  enough  to  comprehend  her  position, 
would  turn  from  her  in  contempt.  The  curse  of 
thousands  of  years  weighed  her  down,  and  she  believed 
in  its  justice  as  much  as  did  any  of  them.  She  could 
not  understand  why  these  Christians  treated  her  with  so 
much  kindness.  —  Julian  Hawthorne. 

The  threshold  weeps  for  forty  days  when  a  girl  is 
born.  —  Arabic  Proverb. 


Thk  Point  ov  View 

It  is  the  fond  and  patriotic  ambition  of  the  son  of 
wealthy  parents  in  Britain  to  serve  his  country  in  India, 
Africa,  or  China,  either  as  soldier  or  civil  servant.  When 


A  CENTUJiY  OF  WOBK  FOR   WOMEN  227 


the  boy  goes  out  to  this  service,  no  mother  considers  it  a 
sacrifice,  no  father  thinks  his  son  lias  acted  like  a  fool. 
Yet  he  goes  to  face  danger,  often  death.  He  has  to  be 
largely  supplied  from  the  parental  fortune  to  sustain  the 
honor  of  his  regiment.    He  does  not  go  to  make  money. 

Christians  of  wealth  and  rank  consider  it  an  honor  and 
a  privilege  to  send  their  sons  abroad  for  such  a  purpose. 
To  equip  and  endow  a  son  for  this  service  is  no  sacrifice, 
no  hardship.  But  when  it  is  proposed  to  do  the  same  for 
missionary  service,  they  reverse  every  principle  of  their 
former  action.  Foreign  service  is  dangerous  to  health  ;  it 
is  a  great  sacrifice  to  send  the  young  people  from  home. 
It  is  even  considered  a  lowering  of  the  social  status ;  and 
the  rich  Christian  father  who  would  boast  of  his  son's 
appointment  to  a  crack  regiment  or  a  diplomatic  mission 
would  lament  his  ordination  to  a  medical  mission  or  a 
foreign  college. 

Many  a  rich  Christian  mother  would  regard  a  daughter 
as  hopelessly  lost  to  society  by  taking  up  zenana  work 
in  India  or  medical  service  in  China;  but  she  would  be 
delighted  to  send  her  to  either  country  as  the  wife  of  an 
officer  or  civil  servant.  Climate  would  be  robbed  of  its 
terrors  if  "  prospects "  were  bright  for  a  fashionable 
career.  —  David  Beaton. 


"  Where  wast  Thou  sick,  Lord,  and  we  knew  it  not? 

Had  we  but  known,  how  .swift  had  been  our  feet 

To  bear  us  to  Thy  couch  1    Ah  !  service  sweet 

To  watch  beside  Thee  in  the  dreariest  spot.  ' 

"  Far  otf  I  lay,  in  heathen  lands  forgot 

By  thee  and  all.    The  blood  of  lepers  beat 

In  the  poor  limbs.  .  .  .    The  sun 

Shone  in  an  Indian  room ;  thou  didst  not  see 

My  form  on  that  bare  floor.    Those  broken  hearts 

Thou  didst  not  bind.    For  that  thou  hast  not  done 

It  unto  those,  thou  didst  it  not  to  Me."  —  E.  F.  F. 


228 


LUX  CHRISTI 


When  I  find  a  field  too  hard  for  a  man,  I  put  in  a 
■woman.  We  have  grand  men ;  but  of  forty  stations  that 
I  have  opened  in  wild  heathen  nations,  eight  of  them  are 
manned  by  female  heroines.  —  Bishop  Taylor. 

Until  all  Christian  women  have  learned  that  the  cross 
of  Christ  is  not  to  be  sung  about  nor  wept  over,  nor 
smothered  in  flowers,  but  set  up  in  the  midst  of  our 
pleasures ;  that  our  Lord  never  commanded  us  to  cling 
to  that  cross,  but  to  carry  it,  the  work  of  the  missionary 
circle  will  not  be  done,  nor  its  warfare  accomplished. 

—  Helen-  B.  Moxtgomery. 

I  have  been  in  India  twenty  years,  and  if  I  had  twenty 
lives  to  live  I  would  give  them  all  for  India.  There  is 
no  work  which  God  has  given  to  woman  which  exceeds 
in  beauty  and  grandeur  the  work  which  is  to  be  done  by 
women  for  the  women  of  India. 

—  Mrs.  J.  C.  Archibald. 


A  CENTURY  OF  WORK  FOR  WOMEN  229 


THEMES  FOR  STUDY  OR  DISCUSSION 

I.  Ann  H.  Judson,  Burma's  Saint. 
II.  Early  Heroines  of  Indian  Missions.^ 

III.  Women  of  Note  in  Indian  Missions  during  the 

Last  Quarter  Century. ^ 

IV.  Infanticide  and  Suttee  :  Purj)oses  and  History  of 

Abolition. 

V.  Comparative  Study  in  Social,  Personal,  and  Mental 
Characteristics  of  the  Native  Women,  Hindu, 
Mohammedan,  Eurasian,  and  Parsi. 
VI.  Native  Medical,  Sanitary,  and  Hygienic  Practices. 
VII.  "  Clinical  Christianity." 
VIII.  The  Story  of  Mary  Reed. 
IX.  Notable  Native  Christians  (Women). 
X.  Poona;  its  Christian  Schools  and  India's  Child 
Widows. 

XI.  The  Countess  of  Dufferin  Association. 
XII.  Native  College  Women  in  India  and  what  they 
are  Doing. 

BOOKS  OF  REFERENCE 

General  reference  as  for  preceding  chapter.  In  addi- 
tion :  Dennis's  "Christian  Missions  and  Social  Progress," 
Fuller's  "  Wrongs  of  Indian  AVomanliood,"  and  Storrow's 
"  Our  Sisters  in  India."  "  Woman's  Work  for  Woman," 
in  Vol.  II,  "  Encyclopaidia  of  Missions,"  is  especially  use- 
ful on  this  chapter. 

For  particular  reference  on  themes  given  above :  — 

Barnes's  "Between  Life  and  Deatli,"  III,  V,  VI,  VII. 
Carus-WUson's  "  Life  of  Irene  Petrio,"  III,  V. 

1  Let  each  society  study  the  heroines  of  other  denomina- 
tions as  well  an  its  own. 


230 


Ll'X  CHRISTI 


Chamberlaiu's  ••  The  Cobra's  Den,"  VII. 

Chapman's  "Sketches  of  Distinguished  Indian  Women, " 

V,  IX,  XII. 
Dall's  "Dr.  Auandibai  Joshee,"  VI,  VII,  IX. 
Dyer's  "  Pundita  Ramabai,"  IX,  X. 

Mrs.  Gracey's  "Eminent  Missionary  Women,"  I,  II,  III. 

Yin. 

Mrs.  Gracey's  '•  Woman's  ^ledical  Work,"  II,  III,  VI,  VII. 
Hopkins'  "  Within  the  Purdah,"  VI,  VII. 
Humphreys'  "  Gems  of  India  "  (Xative  Women  of  Dis- 
tinction), V. 
Hurst's  "  Indika,"  X,  XI,  XII. 

Jackson's  "  Mary  Reed,  Missionary  to  the  Lepers,"  VIII. 
Judson's  "  Life  of  Adoniram  Judson,"  I,  II. 
Leonowens's  "  Life  and  Travel,"  V. 
Lowe's  "  Medical  ^lissions,"  VI,  VII. 
Pierson's  "  Forward  Movements  of  the  Last  Half  Cen- 
tury," X. 

Pitman's  "  Missionary  Heroines,"  III. 
Ramabai's  "  High-caste  Hindu  'SA'idow,"  IV,  X. 
!Miss  Sorabji's  "Love  and  Life  beliind  the  Purdah,"  l\. 
V,  XII. 

Thoburn's  "India  and  Malaysia,"  III,  V,  IX,  XI,  XII. 
"  Sooboonagam  Animal,"  V,  IX. 

Williamson's  "  The  Healing  of  the  Xations,"  \'I,  VII. 


INDIA  HAS 


30  ceuturies .  . 

growth  for  Hinduism. 

288,000,000  .  . 

population. 

333,000,000  .  .  . 

heathen  deities  (estimated). 

8,400,000  .  . 

reincarnations  for  the  soul  in  popular 

belief. 

246,000,000  .  .  . 

of  the  pojiulation  who  can  neither  read 

nor  Nvrite. 

144,000,000  .  . 

women  who  can  neither  read  nor  write. 

40,000,000  .  . 

women  secluded  in  zenanas. 

11,573  .  . 

devadasis  in  Madras  presidency  alone 

in  1881. 

6,000,000  .  . 

wives  under  14  years. 

2,500,000  .  . 

wives  under  10  years. 

27,000,000  .  . 

widows. 

250,000  .  . 

widows  under  14  years. 

14,000  .  . 

widows  under  4  years. 

25  per  cent  of  Hindu  women  who  die  prematurely  through 

eifects  of  early  marriage. 

25  per  cent  more  who  are  invalided  by  the  same  cause. 

500,000  .  . 

.  lepers. 

50,000,000  .  . 

.  outcasts  or  pariahs. 

500,000  .  . 

.  persons  to  every  physician,  government 

servants  included. 

433,000  . 

.  souls  in  Haidarabad  to  each  missionary. 

20,000,000  .  . 

.  souls  in  Behar  unreached  by  Christian 

influence. 

One  century  . 

.  growth  for  Protestant  Christianity. 

Half  a  century 

.  enlightened  British  rule. 

21,8')-)  / 

.  mile.s  of  railroad. 

18,000  .  . 

.  miles  of  canals  for  navigation  and  irri- 

gation. 

50,000  .  . 

.  miles  of  macadamized  roads. 

30,000  .  . 

.  miles  of  telegraph. 

150,000  .  .  .  institutions  of  learning,  English  and 
vernacular. 


Continued 

5,000,000  . 
30,000  . 

1,380  . 
6,000  . 
1,000,000  . 

122  . 
264  . 
184  . 

65  . 

1,800  . 
6,770  . 

2,923,349  . 
41  . 
145  . 
84  . 

391  . 

397  . 
10  per  cent  . 
10  per  cent  . 


under  Chris- 
'  tian  mission- 
ary control. 


from  page  231. 

students,  of  whom  400,000  are  female, 
univei'sity  students  (of  whom  but  7  per 

cent  are  Mohammedan). 
B.A.  degrees  conferred  in  1897. 
vohimes  published  yearly, 
women  treated  in   1897  by  Dufferin 

Fund, 
hospitals, 
disjiensaries, 
fully    quali^ed  physi- 
cians, 

asylums  for  lepers  and 

children  of  lepers, 
evangelistic  missionaries, 
native  Christian  workers,  male  and  fe- 
male, ordained  and  unordained. 
Christians  of  every  name. 
Protestant  missionary  publishing  houses. 
Protestant  Christian  periodicals, 
tongues  into  which  portions  of  Bible 

have  been  translated, 
branches  of  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Y.  W.  C.  A. 
societies  of  Y.  P.  C.  E. 
increase  of  Hinduism  ^ 


increase  of  Mohammedan- 


20  per  cent  .  .  .  increase  of  Christianity 


1881-1891. 


CHAPTER  VI 


FORCES  OF  DARKNESS  AND  FORCES  OF  LIGHT 

"  He  calleth  to  me  out  of  Seir :  '  Watchman,  what  of 
the  night  1  Watchman,  what  of  the  night  ? '  The 
■watchman  said,  '  The  morning  cometh.' " 

We  have  now  reached  the  point  from  which 
we  must  seek  to  estimate,  in  view  of  wliat  has 
been  accomplished  in  India  for  good  and  for  God, 
what  obstacles  confront  us  and  what  grounds 
we  have  for  both  anxiety  and  good  cheer.  It 
is  a  study  in  chiaroscuro,  the  clear  obscure,  for 
India  is  a  land  of  twilight,  where  night  and  day 
are  struggling  in  long  conflict.  It  rests  with 
Cliristiau  England  and  Christian  America,  under 
God,  to  determine  whether  the  forces  of  light 
shall  prevail. 

We  have  seen  that  England,  with  its  civil- 
izing power,  has  been  politically  supreme  in 
India  for  a  century  and  a  half,  and  for  more 
than  a  century  European  and  American  Chris- 
tians have  been  carrying  the  Christ-light  into 
the  gloom. 

The  conversion  of  India  from  idolatry,  wliich 
must  soon  follow  the  noble  work  of  the  last 
century,  if  western  Christendom  but  awakens 
to  its  present  opportunity  and  crisis,  is  in  a 
233 


234 


LUX  CHRISTI 


peculiar  sense  the  enterprise  immediately  before 
the  church.  India  is  the  key  to  the  eastern 
world ;  the  point  of  vantage  which,  once  gained, 
will  command  all  Asia ;  the  strategic  position 
to  win.  It  has  been  called  the  "  Gibraltar  of 
Paganism"  and  the  "  Rudder  of  Asia."  In  it 
are  met  the  great  races,  the  great  languages, 
the  great  religions  of  the  Oriental  world,  and 
these  are  held  under  the  central  control  of  a 
great  Anglo-Saxon  power.  Buddhism,  Parsee- 
ism,  Islam,  and  Hinduism  can  all  be  grappled 
with  on  this  one  field  as  they  can  be  nowhere 
else.  The  English  speech  and  the  English 
civilization  form  media  of  communication 
throughout  the  vast  peninsula.  Missions  and 
missionaries  are  therefore  under  powerful  pro- 
tection, and  are  furnished  with  facilities  for  the 
prosecution  of  their  work  beyond  what  can  be 
found  in  any  other  Asiatic  land.  "  The  com- 
plete conquest  of  the  Brahman  and  Moham- 
medan of  India  by  the  cross,"  says  George 
Smith,  "  will  be  to  all  Asia  what  the  submission 
of  Constantine  was  to  the  Roman  empire."  If 
there  is  faltering,  reaction,  relaxed  effort  at 
this  crisis,  however,  not  only  is  the  present 
opportunity  lost,  but  the  fruits  of  the  past  and 
the  hopes  of  the  future  are  lost  also. 

Light  is  shining  in  India,  but  the  great  cen- 
tral gloom,  into  which  its  rays  have  not  yet 
penetrated,  must  sober  us,  and  check  too  san- 
guine expectation. 


FORCES  OF  DARKNESS  AND  LIGHT  235 


I.   CONDITIONS  WHICH  MAKE  FOR  THE  CON- 
TINUANCE OF  DARKNESS  IN  INDIA 

An  Alloyed  Christianity 

We  must  first  name  a  widely  prevailing  class 
of  professing  Christians  at  home,  men  and  women 
of  a  narrow  type  of  religious  life  and  a  shallow 
type  of  religioiTs  devotion,  of  whom  it  may  be 
sadly  admitted :  — 

"  They  lived  for  themselves,  they  thought  for 
themselves,  — 
For  themselves  and  none  beside, — 
As  if  Jesus  Christ  liad  never  lived, 
And  as  if  he  had  never  died." 

Perhaps  we  may  more  definitely  say :  The 
indiflferent,  the  self-centred  American  Christian 
(for  we  must  confine  ourselves  to  those  we 
know  best)  is  the  greatest  obstacle  to  the 
conversion  of  India,  for  the  unit  of  foreign 
missionary  enterprise  is  the  unit  of  personal 
religion.  "  Ye  are  the  salt  of  the  earth,  but  if 
the  salt  hath  lost  its  savor,  wherewith  shall  it 
be  salted  ?  " 

Foreign  Missions  not  Fashionable 

There  is  undeniably  a  deep-seated  and  wide- 
spread indifference  to  the  missionar}'  work  of 
the  churcli,  abiding  strangely  side  by  side  with 
a  revival  of  altruistic  energy  in  certain  humani- 
tarian directions  in  our  own  countr3\  Social 
settlement  work,  for  instance,  in  New  York  or 


236 


LUX  CHBISTI 


Chicago,  receives  a  cordial  hearing  in  circles 
where  the  sublimest  social  settlement  work  ever 
attempted  by  men  and  women  —  the  lifelong 
residence  of  refined  and  cultured  Christian 
people  among  the  foul  and  abhorrent  scenes  of 
heathendom,  in  Christ's  name  —  is  utterly  ig- 
nored, and  its  claims  are  passed  by  with  cold 
and  slighting  indifference.  Whether  this  fact 
argues  more  strongly  the  lack  of  knowledge, 
the  lack  of  imagination,  or  the  lack  of  broad 
sympathies,  might  be  worth  discussing.  The 
condition  exists,  and  is  manifested  in  many 
forms.  Foreign  missions  have  never  been  a 
fashionable  charit}^  They  are  too  profoundly 
in  earnest,  too  irrevocable  in  the  surrender  for 
which  they  call,  too  searching  in  the  self-denial. 

Wealth  and  Luxury 

All  students  of  our  time  agree  that  never 
in  the  history  of  the  country  was  such  empha- 
sis laid  on  the  gaining  of  wealth  by  men,  on 
the  enjoyment  of  material  luxury  by  women, 
as  now.  Everything  is  rated  by  its  money 
value.  This  is  the  shadow  upon  American  life. 
Self-denial,  willingly  practised  for  the  sake  of 
others  a  generation  ago,  is  fallen  out  of  fashion 
in  the  life  of  to-day,  for  it  wilts  like  a  plucked- 
up  plant  under  the  fierce  heat  of  mammon 
worship  and  passion  for  the  power  that  money 
can  give.  "The  moral  sag"  of  humanity  is 
sadly  observable  as  we  look  around  us  to-day 


FOBCES  OF  DARKXESS  AND  LIGHT  237 


and  see  the  mercenary  and  selfish  aims  of  young 
men  whose  fathers  or  grandfathers  consecrated 
all  they  had  to  the  service  of  Christ  and  hu- 
manity. With  wealth  and  the  love  of  luxury 
and  display,  in  dress  and  in  social  life,  has  come 
the  craving  for  amusement  and  diversion  as 
occupations,  not  incidents.  It  is  needless  to 
enumerate  the  varied  forms  in  which  this  crav- 
ing for  diversion  is  embodied ;  the  extraordinary 
vogue  through  almost  all  classes  of  society  of 
card-playing  for  prizes,  sufficiently  attests  it. 
Numberless  women's  clubs  in  our  cities  and 
towns  contribute  to  the  manifold  complexity  of 
modern  social  life  as  well  as  to  the  divided  mind 
and  the  shallow  thinking  which  neutralize  the 
missionary  spirit.  ]\Iinds  thus  prepared  to  seek 
an  easy  escape  from  serious  responsibility  for 
the  world's  uplifting  are  ripe  for  the  seed 
tliought  which  will  not  fail  to  fall  into  such 
soil,  viz.,  that  each  ethnic  religion  is  the  best 
adapted  to  its  own  people ;  Hinduism  for  the 
Hindus,  Islam  for  the  Mohammedans,  etc. 
Why  should  Occidental  peoples  seek  to  force 
their  religion  on  reluctant  nations  well  satisfied 
with  their  own  faith?  Close  following  this  fatal 
fallacy  of  selfishness  comes  a  cui'iosity,  half  idle, 
half  morbid,  to  dip  into  these  other  religions  a 
little,  while  dipping  (also  a  little)  into  nearly 
everything  else,  and  in  brief  time  we  liave  our 
Christian  women  prattling  of  the  beauties  of 
Buddhism,  and  the  unspeakable  elevation  of 


238 


LUX  CHRISTI 


Hindu  philosophy,  led  on  by  Madam  Blavat- 
sky,  Annie  Besant,  and  their  followers. 

Reaction  upon  Foreign  Missions  of  TheosopTiy 
and  Kindred  Cults 

It  would  be  well  for  the  women  who  still  call 
themselves  Christian,  but  who  like  to  hover 
about  the  seething  caldron  of  heathenism,  to  be 
reminded  of  the  stern  consequences  upon  India 
which  their  disloyalty  to  their  Lord  involves. 
The  earth  is  not  so  large  as  it  used  to  be. 
Electricity  and  steam  have  almost  annihilated 
time  and  space,  and  what  goes  on  in  secluded 
drawing-rooms  of  Boston  and  New  York  is 
known  erelong  in  the  homes  of  Brahmans  in 
Calcutta  and  Bombay. 

"  How  do  you  dare  to  come  over  here  and 
preach  Christianity  to  us  ?  "  is  the  question  now 
frequently  addressed  to  our  missionaries  all  over 
India,  "  when  we  are  told  that  in  your  owji 
country  many  of  the  people  consider  our  Hindu 
religion  better  than  their  own?"  —  "Over  and 
over,"  a  missionary  newly  returned  from  India 
told  the  writer  recently,  "  has  this  question  been 
put  to  me,  until  I  have  gone  home  and  cried  my 
heart  out  for  sheer  discouragement." 

Have  not  our  missionaries  enough  to  bear 
without  this  treacherous  betrayal  on  the  part 
of  their  fellow-C'hristians  at  home  ?  Let  every 
woman  remember  that  when  she  patronizes  lec- 
tures on  "  the  Occult,"  flatters  Swamis,  and 


FORCES  OF  DARKXESS  AND  LIGHT  239 

espouses  theosophic  subtleties,  she  is  not  only 
weakening  by  so  much  the  progress  of  the  sav- 
ing knowledge  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  but 
she  is  by  so  much  strengthening  the  loathsome, 
degrading,  and  licentious  rites  of  the  Hindu 
system,  and  furthering  the  reactionary  move- 
ment away  from  reform  and  back  to  Hinduism, 
which  has  arisen  among  certain  circles  in  India 
where  Mrs.  Besant's  influence  has  been  felt. 

Says  the  Indian  Social  Reformer :  "  Mrs. 
Besant  is  mainly  responsible  for  much  of  the 
mischievous  results  of  the  reactionary  move- 
ment. She  upheld  the  most  grotesque  practices; 
she  idealized  some  of  the  least  useful  customs 
of  Hindu  society.  Her  sex,  her  eloquence,  her 
antecedents,  her  nationality,  all  told  in  her  favor. 
.  .  .  Mrs.  Besant  has  been  a  retrograde  engine  to 
the  Hindu  race.,  and  the  deadening  effects  of  her 
influence  have  been  felt  not  only  in  social  reform, 
but  along  all  lines  of  national  activity. 

American  women,  whatever  their  creed,  may 
well  pause  before  enlisting  under  that  banner! 
It  is  common  for  the  imitators  of  Mrs.  Besant 
to  even  defend  the  customs  of  polygamy  and 
child-marriage,  and  the  cruelties  of  child-widow- 
hood, and  in  idle  dilettanteism,  those  who  at 
heart  know  better  accept  the  defence  and  gladly 
drop  all  further  sense  of  responsibility.  "  It  is 
hard  for  us  workers  in  India,"  says  Robert  1'. 
Wilder,  "to  find  that  the  foe  is  employing  against 
us  weapons  forged  in  Christian  countries." 


240 


LUX  CHRISTI 


The  Comjmrative  3Ieagreness  of  Money  Contri- 
butions toward  Foreign  Missions 

As  wealth  has  increased  in  the  United  States, 
a  new  type  of  pleasure  and  luxury-loving  women 
have  been  evolved,  as  we  have  seen,  following 
many  fads  and  spending  money  for  social  and 
domestic  gratification  with  unparalleled  profu- 
sion. Along  with  this,  a  marked  tendency  to 
exalt  intellectual  attainment  and  a  species  of 
worship  of  higher  education  have  arisen.  These 
tendeucies  have  led  to  the  most  magnificent  en- 
dowment and  enrichment  by  Christian  capital- 
ists of  all  means  and  institutions  for  intellectual 
progress  at  home,  but  without  accompanying  or 
commensurate  increase  of  gifts  for  the  Chris- 
tianizing or  uplifting  of  the  heathen  world. 
One  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  influential  de- 
nominations in  the  country  reports  2224  of  its 
churches  as  giving  absolutely  nothing  last  year 
to  Foreign  Missions.  Another  great  denomina- 
tion reports  5400  churches  out  of  10.000. 

It  is  evident  that  India  cannot  be  won  for 
Christ  without  constant  advance  into  new  fields 
and  constant  additions  to  the  working  force. 
In  place  of  this,  in  place  of  seizing  strategic 
points  at  which  to  plant  new  centres  of  light 
and  influence,  in  place  of  seeing  the  royal 
banners  forward  go,  the  dull,  heart-breaking 
watchword  ever  passed  from  sentinel  to  sen- 
tinel all  along  the  line  of  darkened  India  is: 


FORCES  OF  BAEKXESS  AXD  LIGHT  241 


"Retrench  I  retrench  I  No  money  in  the 
treasury!    Call  back  the  fia^l" 

The  Son  of  God  goes  forth  to  war,  but  his 
church  at  large  deserts  at  the  pinch  those  who 
follow  in  his  train,  and  watches  them  a  moment 
with  cold  indifiference  as  they  climb  the  steep 
ascent  alone,  with  peril,  toil,  and  pain,  and  then 
turns  back  unmoved  to  the  farm,  to  the  mer- 
chandise, to  the  counting-room,  and  the  card- 
table. 

Shoidd  the  Christian  business  men  of  America 
once  take  upon  their  hearts  the  indescribable 
suffering  and  degradation  of  India's  millions, 
never  again  need  that  ignominious,  that  shame- 
ful word  "Retrench"  (Retreat)  be  passed 
around  the  fainting  land. 

We  have  considered  several  leading  causes 
resident  in  our  own  land  which  contribute  their 
force  to  keep  the  light  of  Christ  out  of  India. 
We  will  turn  next  to  India  itself  and  glance 
at  certain  hindrances  peculiar  to  the  conditions 
existing  there,  outside  of  the  broad,  general 
facts  of  heathenism  itself.  Among  these  diffi- 
culties we  will  briefly  mention  :  — 

Interested  Motives  and  Incomplete  Conversion 
of  Natives 

There  is  a  tendenc}'  among  the  lower  classes, 
in  their  extreme  poverty  and  superstition,  to 
welcome  missions,  and  perhaps  especially  medi- 
cal missions,  for  the  material  advantage  gained. 


242 


LUX  CIIRISTI 


simply  adding  to  their  many  divinities  another 
who  for  the  time  seems  to  respond  more  sig- 
nally than  the  earlier  ones  to  their  petitions  for 
temporal  relief. 

Self-sufficiency/  of  Brahmanism 

Next,  a  confidence  in  the  superiority  of  their 
own  religion  to  all  others,  always  met  with 
among  Brahmans,  professing  as  they  do  to  have 
gone  far  beyond  the  Christian's  conception. 
One  of  them  declared  in  this  country:  "If  a 
minute  history  of  India  could  be  written  for  the 
last  six  thousand  years,  there  would  be  descrip- 
tions of  many  miracles  performed  by  our  sages 
as  remarkable  as  any  attributed  to  Christ.  The 
Hindu  can  himself  confidently  hope  some  day, 
on  this  very  earth,  clothed  in  flesh  and  blood, 
to  become  Christ." 

Furthermore,  the  great  and  growing  student 
body  in  the  five  universities  (the  largest  in  the 
Orient)  is  very  largely  made  up  of  Brahmans. 
There  are,  for  instance,  four  times  as  many 
Brahman  as  non-Brahman  graduates  from 
Madras  University,  although  the  Brahman  popu- 
lation is  not  one-fifth  of  the  whole  population. 
The  Brahmans  thus  possess  the  aristocracy  both 
of  birth  and  of  learning,  and  are  the  recognized 
leaders.  Their  intellectual  strength  and  sub- 
tlety, combined  with  the  self-confidence  already 
mentioned,  which  the  non-Christian  training  of 
the  universities  in  no  way  weakens  but  rather 


FORCES  OF  DARKNESS  AND  LIGHT  243 


increases,  make  them  formidable  opponents  of 
Christianity. 

Men  like  these  are  difficult  of  access,  and  can 
be  convinced  only  by  thoroughly  trained  minds. 
The  loss  of  position,  property,  and  friends  often 
entailed  upon  the  higher  castes  if  they  submit  to 
baptism,  is  sufficient  also  to  turn  aside  many.  It 
is  not  strange  that  the  great  ingatherings  of  the 
past  century  have  been  from  among  low-caste  or 
non-caste  peoples,  as  the  Kols,  Karens,  and  Telu- 
gus.  While  tliis  fact  may  in  the  end  conduce  to 
the  levelling  of  caste  distinctions  by  the  uplifting 
of  Sudras  and  Pariahs,  it  remains  to  be  said  that 
to  reach  the  Brahmans  adequately  and  intelli- 
gently is  at  once  extremely  difficult  and  ex 
tremely  necessary. 

Caste  and  Fatalism 

Again,  tlie  obstinacy  of  caste  and  other  para- 
lyzing social  customs,  and  the  ever  present  fa- 
talism, create  a  profound,  and  in  some  cases  an 
almost  uncont^uerable,  apathy  toward  new  light 
or  life  or  hope.  Whatever  is  written  upon  our 
own  foreheads  will  come  to  pass,"  is  a  common 
saying  among  Hindus  as  well  as  Mohammedans  ; 
as  also,  "  We  must  walk  according  to  custom," 
and  "Different  religions  are  roads  leading  to  the 
same  city."  The  conviction  that  millions  of 
rebirths  await  every  soul,  and  the  absence  of 
a  sense  of  sinfulness,  weaken  the  force  of  the 
Christian  motive  and  appeal. 


244 


LUX  CHBISTI 


Good  and  Evil  Influences  in  the  British 
Occupation 

When  we  now  find  it  necessary  to  take  a 
cursory  view  of  the  British  in  India,  we  find  a 
most  complex  study  in  the  clear-obscure,  for 
here,  indeed,  light  and  darkness  commingle  in 
bewildering  forms.  With  some  things  to  de- 
plore, there  is  yet  so  much  in  which  to  rejoice 
that  we  may  well  let  this  subject  occupy  the 
middle  ground  through  which  we  shall  presently 
pass  into  the  region  of  light. 

It  is  the  fixed  and  perhaps  necessary  policy  of 
the  government,  as  we  have  seen  in  previous 
chapters,  punctiliously  to  abstain  from  any  mani- 
festation of  sympathy  witli  or  explicit  further- 
ance of  Christianity  in  India,  or  to  interfere  in 
any  degree  with  the  debasing  idolatry  of  the 
people.  This  must  always  be  kept  distinctly  in 
mind.  The  government  schools,  of  whatever 
grade,  never  trench  upon  either  religious  or 
moral  questions;  and  unless  supplemented  by 
missionary  endeavor,  the  English  occupation  can 
never  affect  the  heart  and  conscience  of  India. 
The  Hindus,  to  whom  religion  is  a  rule  of  life 
governing  every  smallest  detail,  cannot  under- 
stand a  nation  which  appears  to  ignore  its  own 
religion.  They  infer  that  the  British  have  either 
no  religion  or  none  which  is  worth  putting  for- 
ward, and  a  contempt  for  Christianity  thus 
arises. 


FORCES  OF  DARKNESS  AND  LIGHT  245 


New  India 

As  a  consequence,  then,  of  the  progress  of 
civilization  without  Christianity,  we  are  begin- 
ning to  see  rising  out  of  the  dim  chaos  of  old 
India  a  new  and  still  pagan  India,  self-conscious, 
knowing,  cynical  as  regards  Christianity,  inflated 
with  a  sublime  sense  of  its  own  importance  and 
an  overweening  opinion  of  its  own  sufficiency. 
This  new  India  is  filled  with  men  devoid  of 
moral  foundation,  who  have  learned,  outwardly 
at  least,  to  scorn  the  puerile  superstitions  of  their 
past,  and  to  blush  at  the  hideous  idolatries  of  the 
less  enlightened  of  their  countrymen,  but  who 
have  taken  into  their  minds  no  purer  faith,  no 
■  guiding  light  of  di\dne  love.  This  condition  of 
things  calls  urgently  for  prompt  action  on  the 
part  of  the  Christian  church,  upon  which  is  thus 
laid,  in  a  peculiar  sense,  the  definite  responsi- 
bility of  supplementing  Anglo-Saxon  civilization 
with  Anglo-Saxon  Christianity. 

Says  the  Indian  Witness  :  "  India  cannot  wait, 
simply  because  in  her  case  waiting  means  the 
adoption  of  European  civilization  without  Euro- 
pean Christianity;  and  the  work  of  moral  and 
spiritual  regeneration  will  be  inconceivably  more 
difficult  than  it  would  be  were  the  gospel  given 
to  her  during  the  days  of  her  transition.  .  .  . 
If  the  change  is  completed  without  the  Bible, 
and  the  new  civilization  of  India  crystallizes  into 
a  godless,  irreligious  life,  it  will  be  almost  im- 


246 


LUX  CHRISTI 


possible  to  make  an}-  moral  impression  upon  it 
by  teaching  Christian  doctrine.  It  is  '  now  or 
never,'  almost." 

77ie  Opium  Trade  • 

The  support  of  the  opium  trade  by  the  British 
government  in  India,  the  large  revenue  which  it 
draws  from  the  liquor  traffic,  its  practice  of  issu- 
ing licenses  to  prostitutes,  and  the  immorality 
of  the  army,  have  been  again  and  again  cast  in 
the  teeth  of  Christian  missionaries. 

The  awful  results  of  the  opium  traffic  in 
India  are  beginning  to  arouse  the  attention  of 
the  world.  Between  five  and  six  thousand  tons 
of  opium  are  sent  from  India  to  China  annually 
as  an  article  of  English  trade,  from  which  the 
government  derives  a  large  annual  revenue, 
while  the  former  viceroy  of  India  tvas  the  largest 
manufacturer  of  opium  in  the  world.  China  has 
begged  and  struggled  to  be  delivered  from  this 
curse ;  and  Burma,  in  which  the  introduction  of 
opium  was  prohibited  by  law  until  its  annexa- 
tion by  the  British,  was  said  to  be  "  literally  on 
its  knees  praying  the  British  government  not 
to  introduce  the  scourge."  Christians  in  Eng- 
land protest  and  petition,  and  a  harmless  resolu- 
tion condemning  the  traffic  has  even  been  passed 
in  Parliament.  Meanwhile  tlie  traffic  and  the 
habit  grow  apace.  The  rate  of  increase  in  the 
consumption  of  opium  in  the  Bombay  presi- 
dency alone,  according  to  official  reports,  has 


FOECES  OF  DARKNESS  AND  LIGHT  247 


been  at  the  rate  of  549  per  cent  since  187G. 
The  terms  of  the  license  to  sell  the  drug  fix  the 
minimum  quantity  which  must  be  sold  under 
penalty  of  fine. 

"  The  injury  to  missions  by  opium,"  writes 
Dennis,  "is  something  incalculable,  and  the 
issue  between  righteousness  and  humanity  on 
the  one  hand,  and  iniquity  and  callous  greed 
on  the  other,  is  both  sharp  and  irrepressible. 
This  traffic  in  opium  has  been  called  '  Eng- 
land's greatest  contribution  to  the  world's 
wretchedness.'  " 

The  conscience  of  Christian  England  is  rest- 
less over  the  course  of  the  government  in  this 
matter,  for  provision  for  continuing  the  recent 
policy  has  been  incorporated  in  the  new  treaty 
with  China,  and  the  supply  of  opium  from  India 
has  been  guaranteed  anew.  At  a  meeting  just 
held  in  London  to  oppose  the  traffic,  Sir  Joseph 
Pease,  M.P.,  pointed  out  that  those  who  deem 
the  opium  trade  immoral  and  antagonistic  to  the 
principles  of  true  Christianity  have  to  fight  the 
Indian  government.  The  trade,  he  said,  was 
maintained  on  the  most  false  of  all  moral  argu- 
ments, viz.,  that  if  they  did  not  do  it,  some  one 
else  would.  Moral  retribution,  he  declared, 
was  as  certain  as  the  sunrise. 

The  old  leaven  of  selfish  commercialism  be- 
longing to  the  East  India  Company  has  never 
been  wholly  eliminated  from  British  rule.  This 
mercenary  policy  and  the  moral  timidity  which 


248 


LUX  CHRISTI 


it  engenders  militate  seriously  against  the  en- 
lightenment of  India. 

Mutual  Antagonisms  of  English  and  Indians 

Akin  to  this,  a  part  indeed  of  the  same  thing, 
is  the  common,  although  happily  not  universal, 
indifference  of  the  English  residents  in  India 
to  the  uplifting  of  the  natives,  and  the  object 
lessons  of  worldliness  and  lax  morality  set  con- 
stantly before  the  eyes  of  the  people  in  the  so- 
cial life  and  in  the  pursuit  of  pleasure  of  the 
"white  foreigners."  The  abstemious  Hindu 
scarcely  conceals  his  contempt  for  the  gross 
indulgence  of  his  English  conquerors  in  brandy 
and  beer-drinking  and  in  gluttony ;  for  their 
half-savage  love  for  the  chase  and  the  destruc- 
tion of  animal  life ;  for  their  idolatry  of  money- 
getting,  eclipsing  all  nobler  pursuits. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  English,  whether 
soldier  or  civilian,  is  outspoken  in  his  disgust 
for  the  idolatrous,  fawning,  treacherous  natives. 
"To  affect  deep  interest  in  things  native  is  in- 
correct^^'' says  Isabel  Savory,  the  Indian  traveller. 
"  A  lady  was  asked  what  she  had  seen  of  the 
people  since  she  came  out,  '  Oh,  nothing ! '  said 
she.  '  Thank  goodness,  I  know  nothing  at  all 
about  them,  and  don't  wish  to ;  really,  I  think 
the  less  one  sees  and  knows  about  them  the 
better.'"  To  this  common  attitude  we  are 
glad  to  believe  there  are  honorable  and  not 
infrequent  exceptions. 


FORCES  OF  DARKNESS  AND  LIGHT  249 


These  are  some  of  the  darker  aspects  of 
British  occupation ;  meanwhile  there  is  much 
to  consider  in  abatement  of  these  evils.  Peace, 
a  wise  and  firm  execution  of  justice,  a  highly 
centralized  administration  of  public  affairs,  a 
much  lower  rate  of  taxation  than  under  the 
JMughals,  government  schools,  universities,  hos- 
pitals, railroads,  telegraph  systems,  a  free  press, 
material  progress  everywhere,  mark  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  rule  in  India  since  the  middle  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  ^Moreover,  since  the  proc- 
lamation of  1858,  the  British  government  has 
held  consistently  to  its  impartial  policy,  and 
has  protected  Christians  as  well  as  heathen  in 
the  exercise  of  their  religion ;  it  has  even  of 
late  years  invited  missionaries  to  open  schools, 
and  has  largely  withdrawn  its  patronage  of 
idolatry,  although  quantities  of  Hindu  idols  are 
still  manufactured  in  England  for  export.  We 
have  already  seen  that  the  British  government, 
at  the  instance  of  missionaries,  has  abolished 
certain  of  the  more  horrible  of  Hindu  social 
and  religious  crimes,  such  as  suttee,  thuggee, 
female  infanticide,  human  sacrifice,  etc.  With 
great  energy,  indeed,  has  it  aimed  to  discharge 
the  task  of  introducing  western  civil  and  criminal 
law,  western  science,  and  western  industry  into 
its  great  dependency. 

In  a  sense,  all  that  ministers  to  the  advance 
of  civilization  and  education  furthers  the  mis- 
sionary enterprise,  at  least  to  tlie  extent  of  fa- 


250 


LUX  CHRISTI 


cilitating  its  external  progress  and  neutralizing 
the  power  of  superstition.  It  must,  howevei', 
be  admitted  that  the  railroads  which  help  the 
missionary  to  reach  a  circuit  of  villages  with 
the  good  news  of  the  kingdom,  also  make  a 
hundred-fold  easier,  and  consequently  more 
popular,  the  attendance  on  the  awful  debauch- 
ery of  Hindu  festivals  and  pilgrimages.  That 
the  spread  of  bare  knowledge,  unilluminated  by 
spiritual  teaching,  is  powerless  to  overcome  the 
deep-seated  immorality  of  the  race,  has  been 
only  too  abundantly  proved ;  and  human  souls 
are  not  carried  into  Christ's  kingdom  by  rail 
and  telegraph. 

Brahmoism,  or  Reformed  Hinduism 

Belonging  also  in  the  debatable  realm  where 
light  and  darkness  meet,  are  the  various  at- 
tempts which  have  been  made,  since  1830,  by 
native  Hindus,  to  effect  a  reform  of  their  own 
religion.  Profoundly  stirred  by  the  influences 
of  Christianity,  filled  with  new  and  nobler  as- 
pirations for  purer  worship,  and  yet  not  wholly 
ready  to  break  with  their  inherited  faith,  these 
undoubtedly  sincere  men  have  sought  to  coor- 
dinate Hinduism  with  Christianity  and  to  form 
an  eclectic  religion  —  a  composite  of  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Christian  Scriptures,  the  Veda, 
Koran,  and  Zend-Avesta. 

Rammohun  Roy,  the  first  and  most  famous 
of  these  reformers,  established  the  Brahmo 


FORCES  OF  DARKyESS  AXD  LIGHT  251 

Somaj.  which  may  be  translated  the  "  Church 
of  God,"  in  1830,  at  Calcutta.  A  rationalistic 
and  pantheistic  tendency  belonged  to  the  move- 
ment from  the  first,  to  which  was  added,  in  1858, 
under  the  guidance  of  the  new  champion,  Keshub 
Chunder  Sen,  the  strong  effort  at  social  reform, 
traces  of  which  we  have  met  in  a  previous  chap- 
ter. The  movement  divided  quickly  into  dif- 
ferent Somajes,  with  different  shades  of  belief 
and  points  of  contention.  The  leading  tenets 
of  the  Prarthana  Somaj  will  illustrate  both 
the  nobleness  and  the  inadequacy  of  the  whole 
reform  : 

1.  I  believe  in  one  God.  2.  I  renounce  idol 
worship.  3.  I  will  do  my  best  to  lead  a  moral 
life.  4.  If  I  commit  an}-  sin  through  the  weak- 
ness of  my  moral  nature,  I  will  repent  of  it, 
and  ask  the  pardon  of  God. 

The  omission  of  Christ  from  this  declaration 
is  characteristic.  None  of  these  reformers  have 
given  full  and  hearty  allegiance  to  him  as  a  per- 
sonal Saviour,  and  herein  lies  the  pitiful  deadness 
and  inadequacy  of  the  effort  which  has  taken 
but  little  hold  on  the  Hindu  people  at  large. 
"  The  only  t\Wce-born  men  who  can  change  the 
morals  of  India  for  the  better  are  those  who 
are  bom  again  by  God's  Spirit  into  likeness  to 
Christ."  Even  Mr.  Sen,  whose  earlv  reform 
measures  enlisted  widespread  sympathy  and 
admiration,  fell,  before  his  death,  into  most 
fantastic  and  deplorable  errors. 


252 


LUX  CHRI8TI 


n.  FORCES  WHICH  ARE  BRINGING  LIGHT  TO 
INDIA 

Revival  of  the  Spirit  of  Missionary  Devotion 

Among  these  forces,  which  are  clear  and  in- 
dubitable in  our  own  country,  we  recognize,  out 
of  the  materialism,  the  mammon  and  luxury- 
worship,  and  the  selfishness,  a  new  and  powerful 
Renaissance.  It  is  the  revival  of  a  perception 
of  the  unity  of  the  race,  and  the  brother- 
hood of  men,  and  a  rediscovery  of  the  Law  of 
Service,  the  Law  of  Sacrifice,  and  the  Law  of 
Love.  To  it  we  owe  the  invasion  of  India 
by  the  Christian  associations  both  of  young 
men  and  young  women.  To  it  we  owe  the 
Student  Volunteer  Movement,  with  its  well- 
tempered  enthusiasm,  its  sturdy  discipline,  and 
the  sublime  audacity  of  its  thrilling  watchword : 
The  evangelization  of  the  world  in  this  genera- 
tion." To  this  new  inspiration  we  owe  it  that, 
from  our  most  prospered  families,  from  colleges 
and  universities,  select  souls,  young  men  and 
women  of  high  heart,  pure  mind,  and  noble 
endowment  are  going  forth  in  great  numbers 
to  live  their  lives  amid  the  darkness  of  the 
heathen  world.  In  some  cases  whole  families 
are  doing  this  in  touching  and  noble  unison. 
Never,  perhaps,  did  the  old  motto,  Noblesse 
oblige,  reach  to  the  height  of  heroism,  to  the 
depths  of  martyrdom,  that  it  measures  to-day. 


FORCES  OF  DARKNESS  AND  LIGHT  253 


Character  of  Missionaries 

With  advancing  standards  of  education  at 
home,  the  missionaries  of  to-day  are  a  more 
thoroughly  equipped  and  disciplined  company 
than  in  any  preceding  period;  with  the  opening 
up  of  the  East,  they  are  coming  into  the  eye  of 
the  whole  world  as  never  before,  and  their  intel- 
lectual achievements,  the  beauty  of  their  Christ- 
like lives,  and  the  nature  of  the  results  of  their 
labor,  at  last  begin  in  some  degree  to  be  appre- 
hended. The  unique  position  of  wholly  dis- 
interested citizens  of  India  which  they  occupy, 
in  contrast  with  other  foreigners  who  are  there 
for  trade  or  other  selfish  purposes,  commands 
the  respect  of  the  whole  world.  Further  than 
that,  this  unique  position  involves  ofl&ces  of  trust 
and  of  mediation  which  may  be  tested  and  put 
to  the  touch  in  the  coming  century  in  ways  of 
which  we  do  not  dream  to-day.  It  is  probable 
that  in  no  realm  of  the  heathen  world  have 
missionaries  the  far-reaching  power  and  influence 
which  they  have  in  India,  owing  to  the  friendly 
relations  between  them  and  the  government. 
It  can  fairly  be  said  that  every  reform  of  the 
crimes  of  Iliuduism  has  been  undertaken  at  the 
instance  of  missionaries,  from  the  days  of  Carey 
to  the  present  time.  One  of  tlie  greatest  of 
India's  statesmen.  Lord  Lawrence,  has  said, 
"In  my  judgment  Christian  missions  have  done 
more  real,  lasting  good  to  the  peoples  of  India 


254 


LUX  CHRISTI 


than  all  other  agencies  combined. "  Everywhere 
they  have  led  the  way,  and  the  government  has 
followed.  An  American  Methodist  woman,  from 
a  little  western  New  York  village,  began  medi- 
cal work  in  1869  among  the  women  of  India, 
and  the  Lady  Dufferin  Fund,  under  royal  pat- 
ronage, followed.  Hannah  Marshman,  Ann  Jud- 
son,  wives  of  Baptist  missionaries,  and  the  wives 
of  the  Bombay  American  Board  pioneers  began 
schools  for  Indian  girls  early  in  the  century, 
and  now  the  Indian  government  has  taken  up 
the  work  initiated  by  them. 

"  Not  long  ago  the  burning  of  a  widow  on  the 
funeral  pyre  of  her  husband  was  the  custom," 
says  Maurice  Phillips  of  the  London  Society. 
"  Missionaries  agitated,  and  that  custom  was 
abolished.  Not  long  ago  infanticide  was  the 
custom.  Missionaries  agitated,  and  that  was 
abolished.  Not  many  years  ago  civil  service 
and  military  officers  of  government  attended 
heathen  festivals,  not  in  order  to  protect  them, 
but  in  order  to  add  dignity  to  them.  Mission- 
aries agitated,  and  put  an  end  to  that.  Not 
long  ago  the  government  managed  all  the  tem- 
ples, it  collected  the  revenues,  it  paid  the  priests, 
it  paid  the  dancing-girls,  the  prostitutes  of  India. 
Missionaries  agitated,  and  that  was  abolished. 
Not  long  ago  converts  to  Christianity  lost  their 
civil  rights.  Missionaries  agitated,  and  a  law 
was  passed  that  a  change  of  faith  did  not  involve 
the  loss  of  any  civil  liberty.    Not  long  ago  the 


FORCES  OF  DARKNESS  AND  LIGHT  255 

government  prohibited  the  women  who  had. 
embraced  Christianity  from  wearing  clothes 
above  their  waist. ^  Missionaries  agitated,  and 
an  order  was  given  that  the  Christian  women 
should  be  allowed  to  dress  decently.  In  this 
way  missionaries  watched  the  proceedings  of  the 
government  in  India.  We  criticise,  we  agitate, 
we  petition,  and  when  missionaries  petition  in  a 
body,  they  are  generally  listened  to  favorably." 

Character  of  Native  Converts 

Nowhere  do  we  find  brighter  hope  of  light  for 
India  than  in  the  character  of  her  native  Chris- 
tians from  the  days  of  the  Mutiny  down.  Doubts 
are  often  cast  upon  the  capacity  of  the  Hindu 
to  accept  and  assimilate  Christianity.  Let  hiiu 
who  doubts  go  to  India  and  see  quarrelsome, 
obscene,  half -barbarous  men  transformed  into  a 
manhood  of  dignity,  honor,  and  of  self-denying, 
humble  devotion  to  the  good  of  others ;  women 
lifted  from  sullen,  hopeless  ignorance  and  low 
servility  to  the  sweet  and  hallowed  life  of 
honored  and  enlightened  womanhood.  Let  him 
compare  the  vacant-minded  voluptuary  of  the 

1  The  women  of  the  humbler  orders  in  Travancore  were 
formerly  forbidden  to  wear  any  clothing  above  the  waist ;  but 
those  who  became  Christians  felt  this  unbecomill,L^  and  began 
to  wear  a  loose  jacket.  The  caste  women  regarded  this  as  a 
gross  insult  to  them,  and  for  years  a  bitter  persecution  was 
carried  on,  beginning  in  1827.  It  was  not  until  1859  that 
the  Shauar  women  were  legally  permitted  to  wear  iiii  upper 
cloth. 


256 


LUX  CHRISTI 


zenana  with  the  Hindu  college  girl  of  to-day. 
Let  him  visit  the  homes  of  the  Christian  natives 
and  see  the  new  order,  the  new  grace,  the  new 
self-respect  which  transform  them  into  the  norm 
and  type  of  all  that  is  best  in  human  society. 
Let  him  visit  the  native  churches  and  find  them 
often  not  only  well  sustained  and  self-support- 
ing, but  already  missionary  churches,  giving  out 
of  their  poverty,  with  nobly  pathetic  sacrifice, 
for  the  Christianizing  of  their  fellows  in  hea- 
thenism. 

The  Decay  of  Hinduism 

The  lower  forms  of  Hinduism,  animistic  and 
demonistic  beliefs,  are  rapidly  giving  way, 
while  the  dry  rot  at  work  at  the  heart  of  the 
system  is  symbolized  by  the  general  decay  of 
Hindu  temples  throughout  the  country.  For 
this  decay  Lord  Curzon  recently  called  the 
people  to  task,  a  straw  which  shows  how  much 
direct  aid  Christianity  may  expect  of  the  Brit- 
ish government.  New  temples  when  built  are 
on  an  inferior  scale  and  usually  among  rural 
populations.  Among  the  classes  influenced  by 
western  ideas  Hinduism  is  rapidly  breaking 
up.  Said  a  Hindu :  "  Hinduism  is  sick  unto 
death.  I  am  fully  persuaded  that  it  must  fall." 
"  The  younger  men  do  not  much  mind  caste 
rules,  not  more  than  we  can  help,"  said  another. 
Hinduism,  "  l)y  absorption  and  expansion,  has 
grown  into  the  most  gigantic,  debasing  parody 
of  true  religion  in  existence."    Hollow  through 


FORCES  OF  DARKNESS  AND  LIGHT  257 


and  through,  the  day  of  its  downfall  must  come 
and  cannot  tarry. 

TJie  Christian  Religion 

However  we  may  gather  courage  from  the 
disintegration  of  heathenism,  or  from  other 
sources  at  home  and  abroad,  the  supreme  hope 
and  the  supreme  inspiration  for  India  are  in  the 
light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in 
the  face  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  story  of  missions 
in  India  is  only  the  process  of  love  at  work. 
For  the  worker  in  the  half-indifferent  church 
at  home,  for  the  missionary  on  the  field,  for  the 
native  of  India  just  coming  into  light,  there  is 
alike  the  touch  of  that — 

"  Perfect  life  in  perfect  labor  writ, 
Of  all  men's  Comrade,  Servant,  King,  and  Priest, 
—  the  crystal  Christ." 

The  law  of  highest  service,  that  of  self-sac- 
rifice, was  first  made  known,  to  a  world  which 
sought  its  own,  on  the  Cross  of  Calvary.  Slowly 
has  that  majestic,  sweet,  and  awful  law  had  its 
outworking  through  nineteen  centuries.  Ori- 
ental religions  have  never  conceived  of  it.  They 
have  sacrifice,  indeed,  but  it  is  the  barren  sac- 
rifice of  selfish  asceticism  undergone  to  acquire 
merit ;  the  pitiful  sacrifice  of  dumb  brutes  slain 
to  propitiate  reluctant  gods.  It  is  the  surpass- 
ing glory  and  beauty  of  Christianity  that  its 
prime  motive  is  the  willing  sacrifice  of  the  indi- 
s 


258 


LUX  CHRISTI 


vidual,  hoping  nothing  for  himself,  in  order 
to  bring  healing  and  rescue  to  his  fellow-men. 
The  Cross  of  Christ  is  the  hght  of  India,  the 
light  of  the  world. 


In  hoc  signo  vinces. 


FORCES  OF  DAKKyESS  ASD  LIGHT  259 


ILLUSTRATIVE  SELECTIONS 

The  Church  at  thk  Open  Door 

The  revelatiou  of  the  Orient  is  the  opportunity  of  the 
luissionarj-.  Hitherto  he  has  been  titfuUy  revealed  by 
the  accident  of  important  events  or  had  in  memory  by 
religious  conventicles  alone.  He,  too,  comes  into  the 
range  of  secular  vision.  His  seclusion  is  at  an  end. 
What  he  is.  wh;\t  he  does,  and  what  lie  knows  will  be 
matter  of  solicitude  as  he  turns  the  eyes  of  the  conscience 
of  Christianity  upon  the  practices  and  tiansactions  about 
him.  He  may  not  desire  it,  but  he  is  the  accredited  cen- 
sor of  foreign  residents  and  policies.  He  is  the  witness 
of  the  We5t  in  the  heart  of  the  East.  He  cannot  hide 
himself  if  he  would.  He  stands  in  the  full  blaze  of  pub- 
licity for  criticism  or  approval.  His  office  of  mediation 
between  the  East  and  West  is  immensely  enlarged.  He 
is  at  a  railway  terminus  and  in  reach  of  the  telegraph. 
His  stores  of  information  will  l>e  demanded  in  every 
political  difficulty  and  in  every  emergency  and  abuse  of 
trade,  and  he  cannot  withhold  his  knowledge.  He  must 
testify  at  the  council  board  of  the  powers,  and  his  infor- 
mation will  be  indisj^en.sable  to  statesmen.  He  is  hence- 
forth a  part  of  the  world's  bureau  of  intelligence.  —  B.  D. 
Hahn. 


Dawn- 

The  opened  world  —  the  simplified  faith  I  Surely  this 
of  all  times  is  not  the  time  to  dislvlieve  in  foreign  mis- 
sions; surely  he  who  despairs  of  the  [X)\ver  of  the  gospel 
to  convert  the  world  to-day,  despairs  of  the  noontide  just 
when  the  sunrise  is  breaking  out  of  twilight  on  the  earth. 
Distance  has  ceased  to  be  a  hindrance.  Language  no 
longer  makes  men  total  strangers.  A  universal  conimerce 
is  creating  common  bases  and  forms  of  thought.    For  the 


260 


LUX  CHBISTI 


first  time  in  the  history  of  the  world  there  is  a  manifest, 
abnost  an  immediate  possibility  of  a  universal  religion. 
No  wonder  that  at  such  a  time  the  missionary  spirit,  which 
had  slumbered  for  centuries,  should  have  sprung  upon  its 
feet,  and  the  last  fifty  years  should  have  been  one  of  the 
very  greatest  epochs  in  missionary  labor  in  the  whole 
history  of  the  world.  —  Bishop  Phillips  Brooks. 


The  Testimony  of  an  Expert 

Beyond  doubt  the  missionaries  have  a  gTeat  repute  for 
goodness,  for  charity,  for  devotion  to  duty  throughout  the 
heathen  world ;  they  have  done  much  to  raise  our  national 
character;  to  remove  doubts  regarding  our  wars,  our 
politics,  and  our  administration,  and  to  soften  the  memo- 
ries of  many  unhappy  events,  which,  from  various  causes, 
have  come  to  pass  during  the  nineteenth  century.  I 
know  that  you  will  occasionally  hear  opinions  contrary 
to  those  which  I  am  now  most  positively  pronouncing. 
You  will  hear  the  mission  cause  decried,  and  the  results 
of  the  mission  disparaged,  whereas  I  say  that  these  re- 
sults are  fully  commensurate  with  all  the  efforts  you  have 
made,  that  the  reports  you  receive  are  worthy  of  entire 
acceptance,  their  only  defect  being  that  they  cannot  give 
you  the  impression  of  the  beauty  and  excellence  of  the 
work  as  it  is  indelibly  fixed  in  my  own  mind.  Indeed,  I 
am  myself  at  this  moment  hopeless  of  conveying  to  you 
the  glowing  images  which  I  have  in  my  own  thoughts  of 
Protestant  missions  of  all  denominations,  and  I  have  been 
acquainted  more  or  less  with  all  the  missions  from  Cape 
Comorin  to  the  Himalayas.  —  the  fairest  and  finest  field 
now  in  the  non-Christian  world  for  Christian  evangeliza- 
tion.—  The  Right  Hon.  Sir  Richard  Temple, /omer/y 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  Bengal,  Governor  of  Bombay,  and 
Chief  Commissioner  of  the  Central  Provinces,  November, 
1900. 


FORCES  OF  DARKNESS  AND  LIGHT  261 


The  War  Spirit 

Whatever  harms  love  harms  missions.  Hence  it  is  per- 
fectly plain  that  the  warlike  spirit,  if  it  takes  possession 
of  a  people  and  animates  their  thought  and  feeling,  is  dis- 
tinctly fatal  to  the  missionary  motive.  The  breaking  of 
the  race  into  warring  groups,  or  groups  pledged  to  the 
spirit  and  aim  of  war,  is  ruinous  to  the  missionary  work. 
The  war  feeling  toward  men  and  the  missionary  feeling 
toward  men  are  opposite  and  incompatible  just  so  far  as 
they  are  active  and  strong.  And  so  we  are  compelled  to 
say  that  the  recent  awakening  of  the  warlike  spirit  must 
be  counted  among  the  influences  that  perpetuate  the  pres- 
ent crisis  in  missions,  and  threaten  to  perpetuate  it  far 
into  the  coming  century.  —  William  N.  Clarke. 

England  paid  for  the  war  in  Afghanistan  sixty  millions, 
while  one-eiglith  of  that  sum  was  all  the  entire  church  of 
Christ  could  devote  in  that  same  year  to  the  world-wide 
■  campaign  for  Christ.  —  A.  T.  Pierson. 


Men  of  Good  Will 

Widely  distributed  throughout  Christendom,  though 
necessarily  hidden  from  view,  are  to  be  found  what 
might  be  specially  named  good  men  —  souls  who  love 
goodness  for  its  own  sake,  and  are  bent  toward  doing 
good,  as  mankind  in  general  is  bent  toward  doing  evil. 
How  these  souls,  charily  keeping  themselves  from  the 
view  of  the  public,  are  striving  to  make  this  world  a 
little  better  by  their  efforts  and  prayers;  how  they  often 
shed  tears  for  the  wretchedness  of  the  state  of  the  ])eo})le 
of  whom  they  read  only  in  newspapers;  how  they  lay 
upon  their  hearts  the  welfare  of  the  whole  of  mankind ; 
and  iiow  willing  they  are  to  take  part  in  the  work  of 
ameliorating  human  misery  and  ignorance,  —  these  I 


262 


LUX  CHRISTI 


saw  anil  witnessed  with  my  own  eyes,  and  can  testify  to 
the  genuine  spirit  that  underlies  them  all.  These  silent 
men  are  they  who,  in  their  country's  peril,  are  the  first  to 
lay  down  their  lives  in  its  service ;  who,  when  told  of  a 
new  mission  enterprise  in  a  heathen  land,  will  deliver 
their  railroad  fares  to  the  missionaries  who  imdertake 
it,  and  return  home  tramping  on  their  feet,  and  praise 
God  for  their  having  done  so  ;  who,  in  their  big  tearful 
hearts,  understand  all  the  mysteries  of  Divine  Mercy, 
and  hence  are  merciful  toward  all  around  them.  No 
fierceness  and  blind  zeal  with  these  men,  but  gentleness 
and  cool  calculation  in  doing  good.  Indeed,  I  can  say 
with  all  truthfuhiess  that  I  saw  good  men  only  in  Chris- 
tendom. Brave  men,  honest  men,  righteous  men,  are 
not  wanting  in  heathendom :  but  I  doubt  whether  good 
men,  —  by  that  I  mean  those  men  summed  up  in  that 
one  English  word  which  has  no  equivalent  in  other  lan- 
guage, "Gentleman,"  —  I  doubt  whether  such  are  pos- 
sible without  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ  to  mould  us. 
"The  Christian,  God  Almighty's  gentleman  "  —  he  is  a 
unique  figure  in  this  world,  indescribably  beautiful, 
noble,  and  lovable.  —  Kaxzo  Uchimura. 


A  HixDU  Opinion  of  Mrs.  Besant 
When  an  English  lady  (as,  for  instance,  Mrs.  Besant) 
of  decent  culture  professes  to  be  an  admirer  of  Tantric 
mysticisms  and  Krishna  worship,  it  behooves  every  well- 
wisher  of  the  count:-y  to  tell  her  plainly  that  sensible 
men  do  not  want  her  eloquence  for  gilding  what  is 
rotten.  In  fact,  abomination  worship  is  the  chief  ingre- 
dient of  modern  Hinduism. 

—  From  Keig  and  Ruyyet,  Calcutta  Hindu  newspaper. 

Many  persons  mistake  the  way  in  which  the  conver- 
sion of  India  will  be  brought  about.  I  believe  it  will 
take  place  wholesale,  just  as  our  own  ancestors  were 
converted.  —  Sir  Charles  Tkkvklyan. 


FORCES  OF  D  AUKS  ESS  AND  LIGHT  263 


Appeal  to  Christians  ix  America 

The  churches  now,  as  in  all  former  ages,  deem  it  right 
and  highly  commendable  for  some  of  Christ's  disciples 
to  renounce  all  prospects  of  worldly  emolument  and  ease, 
to  commit  themselves  and  thek  families,  if  they  have 
any,  under  Providence  into  the  hands  of  charity; — to 
forego  the  comforts  and  endearments  of  civilized  society 
and  Christian  friends;  to  brave  every  danger,  whether 
from  the  raging  billows  of  the  ocean,  the  sickly  climate, 
or  the  sanguinary  barbarian,  and  to  meet  death  in  what- 
ever time,  place,  or  form  it  may  be  allotted  them  —  and 
all  this  for  the  sake  of  preaching  Christ  to  the  heathen. 
By  approving  and,  as  is  the  fact,  requiring  this  of  their 
missionaries,  they  do  virtually  bind  themselves  to  make 
corresponding  sacrifices  and  exertions  to  the  same  end. 
I  am  not  pleading  that  missionaries  should  be  eased 
of  their  burdens  or  alleviated  in  their  sacrifices.  No,  I 
plead  with  Christians  that  they  would  act  consistently. 
I  entreat  them  to  behold  in  what  they  require  of  their 
missionaries  the  measure  of  their  own  duty  to  Christ 
and  to  the  heathen.  Until  a  principle  of  action  more 
commensurate  with  other  duty  enjoined  is  adopted,  and 
the  work  of  evangelizing  the  heathen  is  more  equally 
shared  among  Christians  generally,  j»s  was  the  fact  in 
the  first  ages  of  the  church,  we  have  no  good  reason  to 
expect  that  the  world  will  be  converted. 

—  Gordon  Hall,  Bombay,  1826. 

The  greatest  hindrances  to  the  evangelization  of  the 
world  are  those  within  the  church.  —  John  R.  Mott. 


Christ's  Ambassador 

The  missionary  appears  to  nie  to  he  the  higliest  type 
of  human  excellence  in  the  nineteenth  century,  and  his 
profession  to  be  the  noblest.    He  has  the  enterprise  of  the 


264 


LUX  CHBISTI 


merchant,  without  tlie  narrow  dcsia-e  of  gain ;  the  daunt- 
lessness  of  the  soldier,  without  the  shedding  of  blood ; 
the  zeal  of  the  geographical  explorer,  but  for  a  higher 
motive  than  science.  And  if  there  is  anything  greater 
than  an  English  missionary,  it  is  an  American. 

—  Robert  N.  Cust,  Esq. 


Cablegi-am  from  English  and  American  Student  Vol- 
unteers :  — 

India  never  before  so  open,  so  ripe,  so  hopeful,  so  critical, 
so  needy  as  now.  India  prays  for  the  awakening  of  Amer- 
ica to  look,  pray,  send,  and  come  for  her  awakening. 

Lahore,  Punjab,  February,  1898. 


O  Thou,  that  from  eternity 

Upon  Thy  wounded  heart  hast  borne 
Each  pang  and  cry  of  misery 

Wherewith  our  human  hearts  are  torn, 

Thy  love  upon  the  grievous  cross 
Doth  glow,  the  beacon-light  of  time, 

Forever  sharing  pain  and  loss 
With  every  man  in  every  clime. 

How  vast,  how  vast  Thy  sacrifice, 

As  ages  come  and  ages  go. 
Still  waiting,  till  it  shall  suffice. 

To  draw  the  last  cold  heart  and  slow. 

—  Henry  N.  Dodge. 


None  but  Jesus,  none  but  Jesus  deserves  to  wear  the 
bright  and  glorious  diadcnn  of  India,  and  Jesus  Clirist 
shall  have  it.  —  Keshub  Chunder  Sen. 


FOBCES  OF  DABKNESS  AXD  LIGHT  265 


Pkater  for  India,  Burma,  axd  Ceylox 

O  God,  who  hast  made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men 
to  dwell  upon  the  face  of  Thy  whole  earth,  and  who 
didst  send  Thy  blessed  Son  to  preach  peace  to  them  that 
are  afar  off  and  to  them  that  are  nigh,  grant  that  all  the 
people  of  Hindu,  Buddhist,  and  Mohammedan  lands 
may  feel  after  Thee  and  find  Thee ;  and  hasten,  O  Lord, 
the  fulfilment  of  Thy  promise  to  pour  out  Thy  Spirit 
upon  all  flesh. 

O  Lord  God,  who  rulest  in  the  kingdoms  of  men  and 
givest  them  to  whomsoever  Thou  wilt,  we  present  our 
humble  supplications  before  Thee  in  behalf  of  India. 
Make  us  faithful,  we  beseech  Thee,  in  so  great  a  trust. 
Give  us  a  spirit  of  true  compassion  for  the  multitudes  in 
that  land  who  yet  walk  in  darkness  and  the  shadow  of 
death.  Suffer  them  no  longer  to  bow  down  to  idols 
which  their  owti  hands  have  made.  Lead  them  from 
the  corrupt  worship  of  false  gods  to  worship  Thee  in 
the  beauty  of  holiness.  Have  pity  on  their  blindness, 
their  misplaced  confidence,  their  mistaken  zeal,  their 
self-inflicted  sufferings.  Teach  them  the  pure  mystery 
of  the  Incarnation  of  Thy  blessed  Son.  Deliver  them 
from  their  dread  of  the  powers  of  darkness.  Raise  up 
among  them,  O  Lord,  teachers  of  Thy  truth,  who  may 
lead  them  to  embrace  the  holy  faith  of  Thy  Church ; 
for  Thy  mercy's  sake,  through  Jesos  Christ  our  Lord. 

Amex. 


266 


LUX  CHRISTI 


THEMES  FOR  STUDY  OR  DISCUSSION 

I.  India  as  a  Point  of  Vantage  in  winning  the  East- 
ern World  to  Christ. 
II.  Missions  in  India  as  Social  Settlements, 
ni.  Material,  Intellectual,  and  Political  Improvement 

in  India  under  British  Rule. 
IV.  Dangers  of  Civilization  without  Christianity. 
V.  Question  for  Debate :  Should  the  British  Viceroy 
urge  the  Hindus  to  keep  their  Temples  in 
Repair  ? 

VI.  What  should  be  the  Attitude  of  Christian  Women 
toward  Theosophy  and  Kindred  Cults? 
VII.  Native  Hindu  Reformers. 

VIII.  Where  does  the  Responsibility  for  the  Enlighten- 
ment of  India's  Millions  rest  1 
IX.  Contrast  between  the  Timidity  of  many  Indian 
Politicians  and  the  Courage  of  Indian  Mission- 
aries. 

X.  What  may  be  involved  to  a  High-caste  Hindu  in 

making  a  Public  Christian  Confession  ? 
XI.  The  Missionary  Enterprise  and  the  Kingdom  of 
God. 

XII.  The  Religion  of  Christ  the  Supreme  Revelation. 

BOOKS  OF  REFERENCE 

General  Referexce  as  for  Preceding  Chapter 

Bell's  "  British  Rule  in  India,"  III. 
Bushnell's  "  Nature  and  the  Supernatural,"  XII. 
Clarke's  "  Study  of  Christian  Missions,"  VIH,  X,  XII. 
Dennis's  "  Foreign  Missions  after  a  Century,"  IV,  VIII, 

IX,  X,  xn. 

Ellin  wood's  "  Oriental  Religions  and  Christianity,"  VII, 
XII. 

Fuller's  "  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood,"  VI,  VII,  IX. 


FORCES  OF  DAliKyESH  AND  LIGHT  267 


Gates's  "  Christian  Missions  and  the  Use  of  Wealth," 
VIII,  XI. 

Gordon's  "  The  Holy  Spirit  in  Missions,"  VIII,  XI,  XII. 
Martin's  •'  Apostolic  and  Modern  Missions,"  XI,  XII. 
Mason's  "  Little  Green  God,"  VI. 

Mott's  "  Evangelization  of  the  World  in  this  Generation," 

VIII,  XI,  XII. 
Mott's  "  Strategic  Points  in  the  W^orld's  Conquest,"  I, 

IV,  vm. 

Pierson's  "Crisis  of  Missions,"  I,  VIII,  IX,  XI,  XII. 
Pierson's  "  Divine  Enterprise  of  Missions,"  VIII,  XI, 
XII. 

Ram  Chandra  Bose's  "  Brahmoism,"  \1,  VII. 
Robbins's  •'  Handbook  of  India,"  III. 
Smith's  "  Conversion  of  India,"  I,  IH,  VII,  VIII,  XI. 
Speer's  "Missions  and  Politics  in  Asia,"  HI,  IV,  VIII, 
IX. 

Strong's  "  New  Era,"  VIII. 
Strong's  "  Next  Great  Awakening,"  XI. 
Temple's  "  India  in  1880,"  III,  V,  VIII. 
Wameck's  "Modem  Missions  and  Culture,"  lA',  IX. 
Wilder's  "  Among  India's  Students,"  I,  III,  IV,  VII,  X. 
Sir  M.  Williams's  "  Modern  India  and  the  Indians,"  III, 
V. 

Sir  M.  Williams's  '•  lieligious   Thought  and  Life  in 
India,"  V,  VLL 


APPENDIX 


LIST  OF  TWENTY  BOOKS 

At  Moderate  Prices,  Most  Useful  in  Course  of 
Study  on  India 

"Between  Life  and  Death."    I.  H.  Barnes.  Marshall 

Bros.,  London.    3s.  6d. 
"  Brief  IILstory  of  the  Indian  Peoples."    Sir  W.  W. 

Hunter.    H.  Frowde,  91  Fifth  Avenue.    256  pp. 

S0.90. 

"  Christian  Missions  and  Social  Progress."  J.  S.  Dennis. 
Fleming  II.  Revell  Co.    3  vols.    Each  vol.  S2..50. 

"  Conversion  of  India."  George  Smith.  Fleming  II. 
Revell  Co.  U-oQ. 

"  Ecumenical  Miss.  Conference  Report,  1900."  American 
Tract  Society.    2  vols.  $1.50. 

"  Encyclopedia  of  Missions."  E.  M.  Bliss.  Funk  and 
Wagnalls.    2  vols.  $12.00.i 

"Handbook  of  Comparative  Religion."  S.  H.  Kellogg. 
Westminster  Press.   Paper,  30  cents;  cloth,  75  cents. 

"  High  Caste  Hindu  Woman."  Pundita  Ramabai.  Flem- 
ing H.  Revell  Co.  |().75. 

"  Hinduism."  Sir  Monier  Williams.  Young  &  Co., 
Cooper  Institute.  '^LOO.  (An  abridgment  of  "Re- 
ligious Thought  and  Life.") 

"Hindu  Literature."  E.  A.  Reed.  Scott,  Forseman  Co., 
Chicago.  .11.50. 

1  While  the  price  of  these  volumes  is  relatively  high,  they 
will  prove  a  good  investment  as  being  equally  indispensable 
for  the  study  of  all  mifisionary  subjects. 

269 


270 


LUX  CHBI8TI 


"India  and  Malaysia."    J.  M.  Thobiirn.     Hunt  and 

Eaton.  $1.50. 
"In  India."    G.  VV.  Steevens.    Dodd,  Mead  and  Co. 

$1.50. 

"  Life  of  Adoniram  Judson."  Edward  Judson.  Amer- 
ican Baptist  Publication  Society.  $1.25. 

"Men  of  Might  in  India  Missions."  H.  E.  Holcomb. 
Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.    f  1.25. 

"  Missionary  Expansion  since  the  Reformation."  J.  A. 
Graham.  Fleming  H.  Revell  Co.  $1.25.  (With 
eight  colored  maps  and  145  illustrations.) 

"  Mosaics  from  India."  M.  B.  Denning.  Fleming  H. 
Revell  Co.  $1.25. 

"  Our  Sisters  in  India."  E.  Storrow.  Fleming  H.  Revell 
Co.  $1.25. 

"  Religious  Thought  and  Life  in  India."  Sir  Monier 
Williams.  (Also  called  "  Brahmanism  and  Hindu- 
ism.")   Macmillan  Co.  $3.50 

"Short  History  of  India."  J.  Talboys  Wheeler.  Mac- 
millan Co.  $3.50. 

"  Wrongs  of  Indian  Womanhood."  M.  B.  Fuller.  Flem- 
ing H.  Revell  Co.  $1.25. 

TWENTY  LEADING  MISSIONARY  PERIODICALS 

Assembly  Herald  (Pres.),  U.  S. 

Baptist  Missionary  Magazine  (A.  B.  M.  U.),  U.  S. 

Chronicle  London  Missionary  Society,  England. 

Church  Missionary  Intelligencer  (C.  M.  S.),  England. 

Foreign  Missionary  Tidings  (Pres.),  Canada. 

Friends'  Missionary  Advocate  (Friends),  U.  S. 

Helping  Hand  (w!  B.  F.  INI.  S.),  U.  S. 

Life  and  Light  for  Women  (Woman's  Board,  Cong.),  U.  S. 

Messenger  and  Record  (Pres.),  England. 

Mission  Studies  (Hoard  of  Interior,  Cong.),  U.  S. 

Missionary  Gleaner  (Dutcli  Reformed),  U.  S. 

Missionary  Herald  (Baptist),  England. 


APPENDIX 


271 


Missionary  Link  (Woman's  Union),  U.  S. 
Missionary  Outlook  (M.  E.),  Canada. 
Missionary  Review  of  the  World  (Interdenominational), 
U.  S. 

Missionary  Tidings  (Christian),  U.  S. 
Spirit  of  Missions  (P.  E.  Church),  U.  S. 
Woman's  Missionary  Friend  (M.  E.),  U.  S. 
Woman's  Work  for  Woman  (Pres.),  U.  S. 
Women's  Missionary  Magazine  (United  Free  Church), 
Scotland. 

WORDS  OFTEN  MET  WITH  IN  BOOKS  ON  INDIA 


Amin  ....  Head  of  district. 

Anna  ....  Copper  coin  =  ^  of  a  rupee. 

Ayah  ....  Nurse. 

Babu  ....  English-speaking  native  gentleman. 

Bakshi.^h  .  .  Fee,  gratuity. 

Bazar  ....  Street  in  which  are  shops. 

Bajjan  .  .  .  Hymn. 

Begum  ...  A  Mohammedan  princess. 

'  Bhisti ....  Water  carrier. 

Bibi   Wife. 

Bulbul  .  .  .  Indian  nightingale. 

Bungalow    .  European  residence. 

Buughias  .  .  Sweepers  ;  the  lowest  caste. 

Bunnia  .  .  .  Shopkeeper. 

Chamars  .  .  Leather  workers. 

Chaprassi    .  Attendant,  messenger. 

Charpoy  .  .  Portable  bedstead. 

Chela  ....  Di.sciple. 

Chilam  .  .  .  Pipe. 

Chit   Written  testimonial  or  message. 

Chopatti  .  .  Unleavened  bread,  universally  used. 

Chuddar  .  .  Muslin  covering  for  the  head. 

Compound  .  Laud  surrounding  bungalow. 

Crore  ....  Ten  millions. 

Dak   The  post,  the  relay  of  men. 

Dandy   .  .  .  Conveyance  carried  by  coolies. 

Deodar  ...  A  kind  of  cedar. 

Dervish  .  .  .  Mohammedan  fanatic. 

Deva  ....  God. 

Dhoti  ....  Washerman. 


272 

Diwan  or  ) 
Divan      |  ' 
Durbar  .  .  . 
Gharri  .  .  . 
Ghat  .  .  .  . 

Ghee  .  .  .  . 
Gosain  .  .  . 
Guru  .  .  .  . 
Hadji  .  .  .  . 

Hakim  .  .  . 
Howdah  .  . 
Karma  .  .  . 
Khitmutgar 
Kismet  .  .  . 
Kowree  .  .  . 

Lakh  .  .  .  . 
Lama .  .  .  . 
Lascar  .  .  . 

Lat  

Lota  

Madrissali  . 
Maha-.  .  .  . 
Mahadeva  . 
Mahajnii  .  . 
Mahat  ma  .  . 
Maidan  .  .  . 
Mela  .... 
Memsahib  . 
M'leclia.  .  . 
Moulvie  .  . 
Munslii  .  .  . 
Musjid  .  .  . 
Nawab  .  .  . 
Nirvana  .  . 
Paddy.  .  .  . 
Padre  Sahib 

Pan  

Pani  

Pan  supari  . 
Patel  .... 
Pathan  .  .  . 


LUX  CHRISTI 


A  council. 

Court  reception. 
A  carriage. 

A  quay  or  flight  of  steps  leading  to  the 

vrater.    Also  a  steep  mountain  side. 
ClarLfied  butter. 
Member  of  a  Bengali  sect. 
Religious  teachei-. 

A  Mohammedan  gentleman  who  has  made 

the  jjilgrimage  to  Mecca. 
Physician. 

Seat  used  for  riding  elephants. 

The  law  of  consequences.  Buddhistic. 

A  servant  or  butler,  usually  Mohammedan. 

Destiny. 

A  small  white  shell  used  for  money  among 

the  poorest  people. 
100,000. 

A  celibate  priest  (Buddhist). 
Servant  in  charge  of  tents. 
Monolithic  column. 
Metal  cooking  utensil. 
School. 

Used  in  composition,  meaning  great. 

Great  God,  used  of  Siva. 

Money  lender. 

An  adept  of  the  first  order. 

Plain. 

A  fair. 

Lady. 

Foreigner,  alien. 

Native  IMohammedan  teacher. 

Teacher. 

Mosque. 

Mohammedan  chief. 

Oblivion. 

Rice  in  the  husk. 

Clergyman  or  missionary. 

The  leaf  which  encloses  the  betelnut. 

Water. 

The  betelnut. 

Head  man. 

A  mixed  tribe  on  the  boundary  between 
Afglianistau  and  Hindustan. 


APPENDIX 


273 


Peshwa  .  .  . 

Pice  

Poor  

Pujah  .... 
Pukka  .  .  . 
Pundit  or  } 
J'iuidit  \ 
Pundita .  .  . 
Punkah .  .  . 
Purdah  .  .  . 
Rajah  .... 
Rana  .... 
Rani  .... 
Rupee .... 
Ryot  .... 
Saddhu  .  .  . 
Sahib  .... 
Salaam  .  .  . 

Sari  

Seer  

Sh abash  .  . 
Situra .... 
Swami  .  .  . 
Tiffin  .... 
Tonga  .  .  . 
Tulsi  .... 
Yishu  Masib 
Yogi  .... 
Zayat .... 
Zemindar  . 
Zenana  .  .  . 


Head  of  the  Mahratta  dynasty. 
Small  copper  coin,  one-halt'  cent. 
Town,  used  as  a  terminal,  as  Jeypoor. 
Worship. 
Firm,  strong. 

A  learned  man. 

Feminine  of  pundit. 
A  swinging  fan. 
A  curtain. 
Prince  or  sovereign. 
A  prince  or  king. 
Queen. 

About  thirty-three  cents. 

Peasant. 

An  ascetic. 

Sir,  lord. 

Salutation. 

Woman's  garment. 

Not  quite  two  pounds. 

Well  done. 

A  musical  instrument. 
Religious  teacher. 
Lunch. 

A  light,  two-wheeled  vehicle. 

Sacred  plant. 

Jesus. 

Hindu  fanatic  or  ascetic. 
Wayside  chapel. 
Hereditary  occupier  of  the  soil. 
Apartments  of  ladies  of  rank. 


a  . . 


ai . 


e  . 


AIDS  TO  PRONUNCIATION 
.    Without  an  accent  has  the  sound  of  m  in  fun. 

Hence  many  words  are  spelled  for  convenience 

with  u  in  jilace  of  a,  as  pundit  for  pandit. 
.    Has  the  sound  of  1/  in  li/rfl.    Hence  O'o.iain  should 

be  pronounced  Go-sine. 
.    Has  the  sound  of  e  in  grei/.    Hence  mela  should 

be  pronounced  mey-lar. 
.    Has  the  sound  of  e,  as  i  in  police.    Hence  Bihi 

should  be  pronounced  Iic-i>e  ;  ghi,  f/hee. 
WiMiout  accent  lias  tlu;  sound  of  00. 


274 


LUX  CHEISTI 


TABLE 

OF 

Christians  of  India 


Official  Returns  of  all  India,  i!:supil  from  Calcutta, 
May  2,  1901 


Total  of  all  denominations 

.  2,923,349 

European  and  other  races 

.  258,990 

.  2,664,359 

Total  Returned 

Natives 

Anglican  

453,612 

305,907 

Baptist  

220,863 

216,743 

Congregationalist 

37,876 

37,313 

Lutheran  and  allied  denomina- 

tions     .       .       .       .  . 

155,455 

153,768 

IMethodist        .       .       .  . 

76,869 

68,451 

Presbyterian    .       .       .  . 

53,829 

42,799 

Friends  

1,309 

1,275 

Roman  Catholic 

1,202,030 

1,122,378 

Salvationist     .       .       .  . 

18.960 

18,847 

Syrian  

571,327 

571,320 

Scattering       .       .       .  . 

131,210 

125,558 

INDEX 


Aborigines,  5,  6. 

Afghan,  invasion,  38,  41,  43,  45, 

65,  til,  62;  frontier,  157. 
Age  of  consent.  189,  190. 
Agitation,  by  missionaries,  187, 

188.  254.  255. 
Agni,  2,  9,  10. 
.\gra,  4.S,  44,  8.%  130,  139. 
.Agriculture,  88,  91. 
.•Vlimednagar,  150,  217. 
.\kbar,  38,  44,  47,  59,  83,  139. 
.Vlexander  tlie  Great,  40. 
Allahabad,  (58,  im,  163, 191, 208. 
American  Board,  149,  150,  15i, 

158, 195, 196 ;  missionaries  of, 

150. 

Amritsar,  47,  187. 

Anderson,  John,  159,  160. 

Anglican  Church,  see  Church  of 
Kiigland. 

Anglo-Indians,  145;  Temper- 
ance A.ssociation,  169. 

Animal-wor.ship,  2, 19, 108,  109. 

Arcot,  151,  158,  168,  199. 

Arnold,  Sir  Edwin,  24, 107,  108. 

Aryan,  3,  5,  9,  16,  20,  2<),  36,  42, 
53,  85-89. 

A.scetics,  28,  122. 

A.sia,  4,  7,  2.3,  41,  51,  74. 

A.soka,  23,  40,  82,  83. 

Assam,  6,  65.  70,  71,  1."):!,  169. 

Aurangzeb,  38,  44,  Mi,  61. 

Auxiliaries,  Women's,  194-201. 

Avatar,  19,  112. 

Baptist  Mis.sionary  8oci<'ties : 
English,   132,   147-14.',  155; 
Zeuana,  195;  ('anadian,  IIM!; 
Free-will,    154  ;  American 
21 


Baptist   Missionary  Union, 

149,  151-154. 
Bareilly,  158,  211,  212. 
Behar,  40,  157,  231. 
Benares,  114,  127,  130. 
Bengal.  62,  63,  70,  71.  75,  81. 
Bengali,  86,  148,  149,  176,  187. 
Bentinck,  Lord,  65,  69,  189. 
Berlin  Mission,  157. 
Besant,  .\nne,  238,  239,  262. 
Bhagavad-Gita,  2«),  108. 
Biblewomen,  203,  204. 
Bishop,  Isabella  B.,  ;)9,  125. 
Bissell,  Dr.  Julia,  217. 
Boardman,  George  D.,  152. 
Bombay,  53.  60  ,  74,  75,  83,  88, 

132,  143,  150,  159,  172, 
Bose,   Chandra    Mukhi,  184, 

206. 

Boughton,  Dr.  G.,  60. 
Brahma,  11,  17,  18. 
Brahmanas,  12,  26. 
Brahnianism,  11.  16,  105,  242. 
Brahinans,  12,  13,  16,  17,  89, 

108,  121,  122,  179. 
Brahnioisni,  2.")0. 
Brindaban,  112. 
British  India,  47.  70. 
British  rule,  69,  244,  249,  250. 
British,  the,  58. 
Brown,  David,  IW!. 
Brown,  Nathan,  153. 
Buddha,  16,  21,  35. 
Buddhism,  1,  21-26,  35,  118, 

127. 

Burial  hymn,  32. 
Burial  rites,  100. 
Burma,  (i,  (id,  172. 
Hullcr,  William,  158. 


276 


INDEX 


Calcutta,  61 ;  Black  Hole  of,  G2, 

71,  75,  88. 
Canning,  Lord,  (iG,  6!). 
Cape  Comoriu,  55,  74. 
Carey,  William,  140,  175,  176, 

180. 

Carpenter,  Mary,  191. 
Caste,  1,  32,  120,  243. 
Cawnpore,  67. 
Census,  85. 

Ceylon,  24,  58,  150,  154. 

Chandra  Gupta,  40. 

Chaplains,  English,  145. 

Childbirth,  214. 

Child-marriage,  100,  101,  189. 

Child-widows,  101-103,  209, 
210;  prayer  of,  222. 

Chota  Nagpore,  157. 

Churches,  native,  153,  256. 

Church  of  England,  145,  140, 
164,  165;  C.  M.S.,  147,  165; 
S.P.  G.,  165;  Women's  So- 
cieties, 193,  194,  195;  Zenana 
Mission,  202. 

Civil  service,  93. 

Clive,  Lord,  61,  64. 

Clough,  John  E.,  154. 

Colombo,  154. 

Congregationalists,  English, 
149 ;  American,  see  American 
Board. 

Cooke,  Miss,  192,  202. 

Coromandel,  59. 

Cosraas,  135. 

Cow,  worship  of,  100. 

Cruelty,  108. 

Curzon ,  Lord,  Lady,  72, 220, 236. 
Cyrus  the  Great,  39,  54. 

Da  Gama,  Vasco,  66. 
Dalho\isic,  Lord,  60,  70. 
Danish  Missions,  141. 
Davids,  Khys,  25,  35. 
Day,  Samuel,  153. 
Deccan,  42,  74. 
Dehra  Dun,  157. 
Delhi,  41,  44;  sack  of,  45,  69. 


Devadasis,  103. 
Dialects,  85,  86,  149. 
Dispensaries,  212,  213. 
District,  71. 

•Doremus,  Mrs.  T.  C,  193. 
Dravidiau,  6,  89. 
Di'ess,  95. 

Duff,  Alexander,  59,  166,  201. 
Dutlorin  Fund,  21^220. 
Dupleix,  61. 
Dutch,  the,  57. 
Dutch  Missions,  141. 
Dutch  Reformed  Mission,  151, 
158. 

East  Lidia  Company,  59-69; 

attitude  of.  143-145. 
Educational  work,  1(56,  204-207. 
Empire,  British,  63. 
Eurasians,  192. 
European  invaders,  55-6-!. 

Family  life,  98,  99. 
Famine,  91. 
Farukhabad,  156. 
Fatalisni,  243. 
Feudatory  states,  71,  172. 
Forman,  C.  W.,  156. 
French,  the,  58,  61. 
Friends,  English  and  American, 
161). 

Ganesa,  19,  112. 
Ganges,  4,  40. 
Gautama,  21. 
Ghats,  74. 
Ghee,  9. 
(ioa,  nc,  137. 

Government,  British,  71,  244. 
Government  reforms,  187. 
(iovernnient  schools,  191. 
Governor-generals,  65,  69,  71. 
(iranth,  4(). 
Greek  invasion,  40. 

Hai<la>'  bad,  71,  74,  88. 
Hall,  Gordon,  1.10,  ISl,  263. 
Hallo  missionaries,  142,  143. 


IXDEX 


277 


Havelock,  General,  67. 
Hawthorne.  Julian,  78,  129. 224. 
Haystack    missionaries,    150 ; 

meeting,  170. 
Heber,  Reginald,  146,  174,  181. 
Hebrews,  3. 
Hegrira,  48,  50. 
Himalayas,  3,  71,  76. 
Hinduism,  17,  105. 

decay  of.  2.56. 
Hindus,  88  et  seq. 
Holland,  61. 
Hospitals : 

Presbyterian.  156. 

First  woman's,  212. 

Idolatry,  107. 
Idols.  108,  249. 
Illiteracy,  99. 
Immorality,  115. 
Income,  92. 

India,  conversion  of,  233,  234. 
India,  new,  245. 

Indian  Reform  Association,  189. 
Indo-Aryaus,  4-8. 
Indra,  2,  9,  53. 
Indus,  4. 

Industrial  schools,  205. 

Infanticide,  187. 

Ingatherings,  154,  163, 164, 165. 

Inquisition,  138. 

Invaders,  39,  133. 

Islam,  48 ;  last  word  of,  80. 

Jaffna  College,  151. 
Jagan-nath,  113. 
Jainism,  2,  24. 
Jehangir,  44. 
Jellasore,  154. 
Jeypore,  158. 
Jordanus,  1.37. 
Judson,  Adoniram,  l.'iO,  178. 
JndsoD,  Ann  H.,  1,">2.  222. 
Judson,  Sarah  B.,  152 
Jurana,  4.  \ 
Justice,  administration  of,  71, 
219. 


i  Kali,  20,  61. 

'  Kapilavastu,  22. 

Karens,  152,  173. 

Khyber  Pass,  45,  74. 

Kipling.  Rudyard,  76,  82,  128, 
186,  221. 

Kismet,  52. 

Kistna,  155.  166. 

Kolarian,  6. 

Kols,  164. 

Koran,  48,  52,  79,  127. 
Ko-thah-byu,  152. 
Kottayam,  136. 
Krishna,  2.  20,  112. 
Krishna  Pal.  148,  175. 
Kusinara,  23. 
KutabOIinar,  42. 

Lahore,  46.  156. 
Lawrence,  Lord,  70,  253. 
Lepers,  work  among,  156,  169. 
Linga,  2,  112,  113,  114. 
London  Missionary  Society,  155, 
164. 

Lowenthal,  Isidor,  157. 
Lowrie,  John  C,  156. 
Lucknow,  88,  102. 
Lucknow  College,  206. 
Ludhiana,  156. 

Lutherans,  155,  157;  Swedish, 
200. 

Macaulay,  Lord,  65,  124,  125. 
Madras,  61,  75,  88. 
Madura  Mission,  151. 
Maha-bharata,  28,  126. 
Mahmud.  Sultan,  41. 
Mahratta,  45.  Gl,  65. 
Malabar  coa.st,  56. 
Malabar  scandals,  1.39. 
Mansell,  Mrs.  M.,  189. 
Mann,  code  of,  12,  27,  34,  94. 
Manufacture.  88. 
Marshman,  Hannah,  192. 
Martyn,  Henry,  146. 
Martyrs  of  Thana,  137. 
Masulipatam,  60;  college,  139. 


278 


INDEX 


Maulmain,  152. 
Maya,  18,  52. 
Mecca,  48. 

Medical  Jlissionaries,  M"omen, 

211-218. 
Medical  Missions,  168. 
Medina,  48. 

Methodist,  English,  149 ;  prog- 
ress, 162-164. 
Missionaries,  character  of,  253. 
Mitra,  9,  53. 
Mohammed,  48. 
Mohammed  of  Ghor,  41. 
Mohammedanism,  51. 
Mohammedans,  41,  48. 
Mongol,  43;  type,  89. 
Monotheism,  8,  51. 
Jloravian  Mission,  157. 
Morrison,  -J.  H.,  157,  162. 
^Mosque,  117. 
Mozoomdar,  90. 
^Muglial  Empire,  43,  63. 
Mughals,  43. 
Muller,  Max,  10. 
Muralis,  104. 

Mutiny.    66-69;    martyrs  of, 

160,  161. 
Mysticism,  112,  140. 

Naina  Tal,  158. 
Nanak  Shah,  46. 
Kat-worship,  118. 
Nature-worship,  8. 
Nautch  girls,  104,  126. 
Xellore  Mission,  153. 
Nestorians,  1.35. 
Newton,  John,  156,  169. 
Nii-vana,  22. 

Ora,  9,  15. 
Ongole,  153. 
Opium  traffic,  346. 
Orissa,  113,  154. 
Oudh,  66. 

Palamcotta  Mission,  165. 
Pantaenus,  135. 
Pantheism,  15,  36. 


Parsis,  53;  women,  54;  hurial 

customs,  119. 
Pepper,  58. 
Persian  crosses,  136. 
Persian  Invasion,  39,  45. 
Petition,  use  of  right  of,  187, 

188. 

Philosophies,  14. 

Pilgrimages,  117. 

Plant-worship,  110. 

Plassey,  hattle  of,  63. 

Plutschau,  142. 

Polygamy,  98.  185. 

Polytheism,  36. 

Pohdicherry,  62. 

Poona,  61,  207. 

Poor,  Daniel,  150,  159. 

Population,  72 ;  rural,  88. 

Portuguese,  56. 

Poverty,  91. 

Prarthana  Somaj,  251. 

Preparatio  Evangelica,  177. 

Presbyterian :  American,  156, 
157,161;  Scotch  United,  157; 
American  United,  158 ;  Can- 
ada, 166. 

Princeton  College,  170. 

Printing  press,  167. 

Proclamation,  69,  73. 

Provinces,  70. 

Provinces,  Central,  66;  North- 
west, 70. 
Punjab,  4,  66,  181. 
Puranas,  29. 
Purusha  hyuin,  12. 

Queen  Elizabeth.  44,  59,  83. 
Queen  Victoria,  69.  91,  190. 

Rajputana,  42,  71. 
Rajputs,  42.  89,  97. 
Ramabai,  208-211,  223. 
Ram  ay  an  a,  28. 
Ramniohun  Roy,  107, 181. 
Rangoon, ' 't,  152. 
Rani  of  Jhansi,  44. 
Reed,  Mary,  215. 


INDEX 


Reed,  William,  156. 
Relics,  worship  of,  113,  119. 
Retrenchment,  241. 
Rhenius,    Charles,    155,  159, 

165. 
Rice,  2,  88. 

Rig- Veda,  8,  26,  30,  31. 
Roman  Catholic  Missions,  136- 
140. 

Roman  coins,  135. 
Root,  Dr.  Pauline,  215. 
Rudra-Siva,  18. 

Sacred  thread,  121. 
Sacrifice,  12,  257. 
Saktisra,  29,  111. 
Sakya-Muni,  108. 
Sale,  Mrs.  John,  202. 
Sama-Veda,  27. 
Sanitary  conditions,  214. 
Sanskrit,  5. 

Sarah  Tucker  CoUege,  206. 
Schwartz,  C.  F.,  142,  176. 
Scotland,   women's  societies, 
193. 

Scudder,  John,  151,  168,  180. 
Scudder,  H.  M.,  151,  168. 
Seclusion  of  women,  95. 
Sen,  Keshub  Chunder,  107, 189, 

251,  264. 
Serampore  Triad,  147-149,  177. 
Shah  Jehan,  44,  60. 
Shastras,  28. 
Sialkot,  1.58. 
Sibsagor,  153. 
Sikhs,  45,  61,  65. 
Singh,  Lilavati,  207. 
Siva,  18,  114,  116. 
Social  settlements,  235. 
Soma,  2,  9. 
Sorabji,  Mrs.,  207. 
Sorabji,  Miss,  208. 
Sou  they,  Robert,  147, 176. 
Spell-Veda,  27. 
Students,  LidiaD,'i242. 
Student  volunteer  movement, 

170,  252. 


Sudras,  243. 
Surat,  60. 
Sutras,  2,  28. 
Suttee,  65,  187. 
Swain,  Dr.  Clara,  211. 

Taj  Mahal,  44. 
Tamerlane,  43. 
Tamil,  6,  151. 
Tantras,  29. 
Tatars,  43. 
Taxation,  249. 
Taylor,  Bishop,  163. 
Telugu  Mission,  6,  153. 
Temples,  116. 
Theosophy,  2.38,  239. 
Thobum,  Bishop,  93. 
Thobum,  Isabella,  197. 
Thomas,  John,  147. 
Thomas,  St.,  13i. 
Thugs,  65. 

Tibeto-Burman,  6,  89. 
Tinnevelly  Mission,  165. 
Touring,  204,  215. 
Translation,  148,  152,  153. 
Transmigration,  2, 13. 
Travancore,  164. 
Tri-murti,  18,  19, 116. 
Triologue,  191. 
Tripitaka,  24,  25. 
Twice-born,  122. 

Universities,  Indian,  191. 
Upanishads,  2,  14,  15,  28. 

Vaishnavi.sm,  19,  29,  113. 
Valentine,  Dr.  Colin,  168. 
Varuna,  8,  20,  30. 
Vedas,  2-12. 
Vedism,  8. 
Via  Christi.  13t,  143. 
Villages,  88. 
Vindhya,  4,  74. 
Vinton,  Justus,  152. 
Vishnu,  18,  19,  116. 

Water  worship,  110. 


280 


"Wealth,  growth  of,  236. 

use  of,  240. 
Week  of  prayer,  162. 
Wellesley,  Lord,  04,  187,  188. 
Widow-burning,  see  Suttee. 
Wilberforce,  William,  144. 
Williams,     Monier,     30,  33, 

110. 

Woman's    Board  (Congrega- 

tionaUst) ,  195,  196. 
Woman's    Union  Missionary 

Society,  193,  194. 
Woman's  wrongs,  185. 
Women,  status  of,  14,  94-103. 


Women's  Christian  Temper- 
ance Union,  189. 

Xavier,  Francis,  138. 
Xavier,  Geronimo,  139. 

Yahnr-Veda,  27. 
Yama,  9. 
Yogis,  122. 

Zenana,  95,  202,  203. 
Zend-Avesta,  53,  81. 
Ziegenbalg,  142. 
Zoroaster,  53. 


